


Taste of Heaven

by Mac_Northsea



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2019-09-23 13:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 34,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17081225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mac_Northsea/pseuds/Mac_Northsea
Summary: Who would have thought that it would be food that broke the tenuous status quo with Cat Grant? Kara had barely managed to fix their professional relationship after the Adam thing and J'onn's well-intended but ultimately disastrous help, but one meal shared with Cat threatened to destroy it all, again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SupergaySupercat (octoplods)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/octoplods/gifts).



> AU after E18, subverting the whole Myriad and James thing, but following some of the events up to S2E2
> 
> Based on the prompt from SupergaySupercat - {Something involving food. It can be a date, cooking at home, surprise home cooked dinner after cancelled plans. Food porn. Sexy food adventures ,whatever you fancy. Props if one of them is wearing an apron or the restaurant gets an order wrong in a hilarious/catastrophic (hurr hurr) way. Maybe its pre relationship and they are mistaken for a couple? Go mad! As long as it involves food. (I just ate the best Burek of my life and im still not over it hence this prompt )} I tried my best, hope you like it...  
> It was supposed to be a short story, but as usual my muse couldn't deal with it...

 

It was a beautiful day. Well, it was turning out to be a beautiful day, at least weather-wise. After clouds from the heavy rain in the morning cleared out, it was glorious to be outside. The air, still fresh from the rain, smelled clean and nice and the wet windows on towering buildings gleamed in the afternoon Sun, as its rays pierced through the remaining but swiftly disappearing cloud cover. It _was_ a beautiful day.

That was one of the reasons Kara was standing on the empty roof of CatCo Worldwide Media building, nested in the southwest corner, beside the Helipad on one and the chest high ledges on two other sides, enjoying the Sun’s healing touch. And eating.

The reason she was on the roof and not on one of the balconies available to her on the executive floor of CatCo was simple. She was avoiding James. And Winn. And she did have to be inconspicuous about the amount of food she was eating, especially since the people in the bullpen had seen her demolish a whole bag of Chinese Winn had so graciously supplied her with for lunch. It was only three hours later and she was going through four burgers she had picked up only minutes before, her frequent customer status and the wide spread knowledge that she was Cat Grant’s assistant the only reason she had been able to get the burgers to go out of the strictly eat-in joint two blocks away.

As she gobbled up her second to last burger, she allowed herself to slow down and really enjoy the last part of her meal, appreciating the taste of the food she was eating, instead of just making sure to fuel up her somewhat drained reserves.

That very gloomy and rainy morning, two hours before the start of her working hours at CatCo, she had had to leave her warm bed, still feeling the effects from the last bout with Livewire and Silver Banshee, and stop several men from her Uncle’s army of creating havoc in the waking city, their organized and highly trained manner of combat almost getting the better of her. It had been only with DEO’s help that she had managed to fight them off and capture some of them, the battle leaving her seriously tired and late for her morning duties by Ms. Grant’s side. The lack of Sun and time to stay under specially engineered Solar lamps only had made her feel worse, causing both James and Winn to cast worried looks her way. Cat’s snappy attitude, no doubt caused by overindulgence of the night before, had not helped, so when she had sent Cat away to the meeting in Marketing department, Kara had escaped the bustling bullpen, unable to stand the worry-fraught silence and side glances from her friends.

And, there was the whole thing with James. She had thought that she had been in love with the famous photojournalist, her reasoning encouraged by her sister’s staunch insistence that they had chemistry and that Kara had been crushing on him since the day she had met him and by Ms. Grant’s not so subtle remarks and instructions. She did like him, that was true and she had tried to aggressively seduce him during the whole Red Kryptonite incident. But, the past several days had Kara questioning her feelings for her friend.

Kara had often disagreed with James’s opinions on the “right” way of doing things, especially if it had been something that her cousin had dealt with first, more often than not accepting Alex’s or J’onn’s guidance on the topic, and sometimes it had caused the black man to huff sulkily at her before seemingly letting it go. Yes, she had appreciated his input, however occasionally it had irked her the way he’d expected of her to be more like, or the same as Superman.

And, there had been that whole business with Reactron. His intervention and solution to her temporary setback against the villain from Metropolis had hurt her feelings and damaged her confidence, and deep down she had a hunch that he hadn’t really understood why it had been important for her to deal with the nuclear man in her own way.

Of course, there had been the thing of the confusing signals he had been giving her regarding their relationship. She would be the first one to admit that she wasn’t the brightest light in the skies in regards to personal connections but she wasn’t that oblivious to signs of liking someone, and he had exhibited most of them with her, Lucy’s presence notwithstanding.

Barry’s arrival from another Earth had complicated things further for her. With the speedster, she had seen and felt how true partnership worked, where both sides could contribute equally, in the way of both heroic powers and ideas to deal with the problem, the connection she had established with the visitor reminding Kara of the relationship she had with Alex, sometimes even with J’onn, although she considered the Martian more of a parental figure. Yes, the Flash had been a Meta human with powers of his own, but while they had been at the DEO, she had talked to the CSI, exchanging ideas, philosophical tenets and stories of successful saves. Barry had given her several good advices, and she had appreciated them immensely, as he had been in the hero business a while longer than her, some of his struggles mimicking her own, but he had not lectured her in any way. In fact, his kind counsel had felt very different from James’s, less fraught with a fragile air of masculine pride and more with unconditional acceptance, even though Barry was too a man well versed in superhero business.

There had been a moment when Kara had started to doubt her feelings for the Art Director of CatCo. She and Barry had been at the DEO for the last bit of briefings and recovery, and while there, they had talked about their families, original and made ones, she about Alex and Eliza, and her parents on Krypton, and he about Iris and Joe, along with his father. Having listened to him talk about the fearless and righteous reporter back at Earth 1, she could simply feel his love for Iris, and it had presented such a stark contrast from her own feelings toward the certain friend. Plus, he had shared that his secret, the existence of his powers and another identity, had created a certain amount of distrust in his relationships with people who hadn’t known about him; and, in turn, as soon as someone close to him had found out his other job, it had brought them incredibly closer, almost too intimately connected. He had mentioned his relationship with his friend Caitlin, who despite the fact he had known her for a short time, he had thought of her as a sister and best friend in one person.

James had known about her from the start and he had some preconceived notions on how a Super was to behave, witnessing Clark’s growing pains. The fact had been, and it still was, Kara was still growing as a superhero. She was still learning who she was as Supergirl, and what her abilities and points of strength were. And, due to her newness to the game, underneath it all, she had felt that she needed to catch up to James’s expectations. That, among other things, had instigated a weird sort of tension between them, and Kara didn’t know what to do about it.

One other thing had added to her worsening mood, but for the life of her, she didn’t know why. An unexpected bout of restlessness had sprung on her since she had been tasked to make reservations for her boss, despite the fact that she had been more than just tired. It had been a task she had performed innumerable times before, but this time she had to make reservations for two at the newly opened restaurant, the It place for the week. Cat had simply told her that it had been for two, without giving her the other person’s name, the unsaid implication that the Media Mogul would arrange the meeting herself, as odd as it had been, and to give details of her personal credit card rather than the business one, which meant it was to be a private dinner. Ordinarily, that still wouldn’t have meant anything because Cat had dinners often with her son in various restaurants, especially lately when Carter had become more comfortable with crowds, but Kara had known that the precocious boy was away on a school trip, leaving the identity of the other person at the dinner a mystery.

But, now as she was standing on the top of CatCo, simply letting her skin soak up the Sun, and having decided that she wouldn’t think of her troubles for the moment, she chewed her burger with gusto, the pleasant aroma of beef, accompanied by crunchy goodness of vegetables and softness of wheat bun and melted hard cheese mixed in with various condiments, filling her mouth.

“Kiera!”

Kara jerked at the sound of her boss’s voice, her sudden movement making the juices from what was left of her burger to spatter over her chest, leaving behind greasy stains upon her light colored button up. “Crap,” she murmured, before she stuffed the last bite of her lunch into her mouth, her other hand gathering napkins in effort to try to clean the spots. However, she had to face it, the shirt couldn’t be salvaged without proper washing.

“Kiera!” Cat’s voice came again, its angry and exasperated tenor reminding the young woman what had interrupted her meal in the first place.

“Oh, shoot!” Kara picked after herself with super-speed and zoomed down toward the executive floor, purposefully directing herself to appear as if she had just been coming from the bathrooms. And, just in time, it seemed as she could hear the woman speak out to the bullpen, probably addressing Winn.

“Where is she?”

Slowing down to a hurried walk, Kara came to her desk, picking up her pen and notebook off it in passing, sparing her friend from having to utter whatever excuse he had concocted to help her out. “Yes, Ms. Grant?” she spoke, her pen at the ready as she briskly stepped into the CatCo owner’s inner sanctum, stopping herself right beside the balcony side’s couch. “How was your meeting with Marketing?” she asked tentatively, briefly glancing up at the fuming woman before her as Cat stood in front of her desk, holding her glasses in her right hand lightly folded into a fist, while her left hand was resting on her hip.

Cat clucked her tongue before she looked at her assistant. “Too long!” she said sharply as she turned on the spot and directed herself to the bar, dropping the glasses on the counter before she reached for the candy container, pouring more than a half of a low ball glass with jelly beans and taking it with her as she walked back to her desk. “One second in the presence of those imbeciles is too long. Call the HR.” In the next several minutes, the media mogul outlined her entire plan for the reorganization of the marketing department, starting first by firing most of the high-ranking employees for ‘gross negligence for market and customer trends’, inter-laying various tasks for Kara to deal with in the following days and weeks of the departmental shake up. While she was speaking, Cat occasionally glanced over to the screens on the wall, scanning the latest headlines almost absentmindedly, but Kara knew that Cat was anything but inattentive to the tides of media. Having finished with her instructions, the older woman turned back toward the girl in front of her. “Latte, stat,” she added, dismissing her assistant with a bored wave of her hand, stepping around her desk and pulling away her chair, watching Kara out of corner of her eye. When the girl picked up all the things she usually did when she was about to do a coffee run, the young woman already typing away something on her phone, most likely the order to the Noonan’s, Cat called Kara’s name incorrectly.

“Ms. Grant?”

“This place has certain standards in dress code. I know that you sometimes find it impossible to behave like an adult woman, but please try and do something about that!” Cat said with a pointed glare at Kara’s chest, her words quiet but biting.

Kara’s cheeks turned red in embarrassment at Cat’s words before she awkwardly nodded, and when the older woman lazily flicked her fingers in dismissal, she turned and slipped away toward the elevator bay in a rush.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is slow going due to a slew of problems at work and in personal life, but I hope you like it...

 

Her cheeks still burning from Cat's rebuke, Kara flew to her apartment and changed her shirt, picking a couple of freshly laundered ones to take with her to work for the next similar occurrence. Then, she went to Noonan's, her order already being prepared by the friendly and helpful staff of the coffee house. All in all, it took her less than ten minutes to return to Cat's office with the drink. 

“Good, you're here,” her boss spoke with barely hidden impatience as she walked by her assistant into the office, taking the offered cup in passing. While she was perusing the outlines and reports scattered over the surface of her desk, she gave a few comments and directives for Kara to follow up on, casually sipping the latte in her hand. 

“Now, do you have plans for the evening?” the older blonde asked, tossing away the empty cup and turning around to look at her assistant. Before surprised Kara could even start to speak coherently, Cat interrupted. “Cancel them. You’re coming with me.”

“Er… Where?”

Cat leaned her behind onto her desk and raised her eyebrow at the young woman in front of her, just looking at her. “Harold was already supposed to be here,” the CEO spoke, closing the subject of evening quite firmly, her words bringing Kara to an even ground. 

This, she knew how to deal with, Kara thought, as she rushed to her phone and dialed the Finance Office extension, getting in touch with Harold and reminding him he was already late. Lowering the receiver down, she walked around her workplace and sat at her desk, catching Winn’s worried glance thrown her way. 

As the matter of fact, she didn’t have plans for that evening, or really any evening, not until her sister returned to her, safe and sound. Her social life didn’t revolve around Alex, but her absence did put quite a big dent in her mood overall. And, she didn’t want to be around the boys, not when she was feeling so insecure about their roles in her life. Which, left Lucy as the only one who knew both sides of her identity and someone she didn’t have to be guarded around in her down time. But, the problem was, her friendship with Major, now Director, Lane was still so new and fragile, and also burdened by the previously uncovered secrets. 

That reminded her, she needed to call her DEO boss and tell her she would be unavailable for the suddenly springing up operations for the night. She couldn’t risk making Cat even more suspicious or angry with her.

Two hours later, Kara saw her boss getting ready to leave, so she did a quick look around and pleased to find that she had completed all the work she had set out to do, she turned off the light on her desk, and packed the tablet into her purse, double checking for pens and notebook. Then, as she saw Ms. Grant take her jacket, the young woman reached for the phone on her desk to call for the driver, but Cat's voice stopped her from dialing. 

“He is already downstairs.” 

Kara blinked. That would mean Cat had called the man herself while Kara had been available, which was very out of character for the woman. “Oh,” she uttered, setting the phone down. Picking her purse and light jacket up, she waited for Cat to pass her on the way to the private elevator before directing herself to the public ones, quite aware of the fact that Ms. Grant hated when other people intruded in her private space.

“Kiera.”

The soft but amused call from her boss made Kara turn around, and she saw the older woman standing by the elevator, a light smirk quirking her mouth as her eyes pinned the assistant, delivering the message quite clearly. “We don’t have all night, Kiera,” Cat said, her tone slightly sharper as she strolled into the cabin of her elevator, her expectations of Kara joining her even more accentuated by the woman moving slightly to a side to make room. The warning tone of door closing snapped Kara into motion, forcing her to hurry up just enough to get through the door, but without being overtly fast. 

Puzzled by the unusual behavior of the woman beside, Kara peered at her, trying to be inconspicuous in her curiosity. However, when Cat sighed in annoyance, the young woman snapped her eyes forward, clutching her bag close to her chest. 

Spending the drive over to the restaurant in awkward silence, Kara couldn’t help but think about the weird conduct of her boss. As she sat quietly in the car, leaning her head against the window, she lazily watched the streets of National City fill with evening crowds, absentmindedly keeping one ear to the soundscape of the city, her senses attuned to pick out if she was needed. But, she wasn’t focused on her duty to the city she had chosen to protect. No, her mind was on the woman next to her, the woman who was playing Candy Crush on her phone to pass the time without making the silence between them even more uncomfortable.

Even though, Kara had made a point of being able to predict most of Ms. Grant’s moods and needs, earning the awe and resentment among her colleagues with her feats, she was completely stumped by the woman’s behavior. It had been happening more and more, Kara noted. The woman doing things that thoroughly surprised her, especially in the last few months. 

It had all started with that damn board meeting when she had heard Mr. Anderson plot against her boss, unknowingly exposing herself as Supergirl to the same boss who was one of most famous media persons in the world, if not the most famous. The sheer terror she had felt at the fact that Cat Grant could have had her name and face splattered all over the world’s news outlets had been nothing compared to the heart wrenching pain she had felt as Cat had been trying to send her away, to be Supergirl all the time. By the time that talk happened, Kara’s fears had settled as she had realized she could trust the woman who had become the mentor both to Kara and Supergirl. All the small lessons of reporter’s integrity and reporting the truth in the way that isn’t destroying people’s lives needlessly had left their mark on the young woman and she had learned that Cat would keep her secret, because the media mogul had known very well that heroes that gave themselves to the world would not be able to be effective if anyone knew who they were. And, Cat was wholly behind Supergirl being the best hero of them all.

She could have guessed that seeing J'onn masquerading as Supergirl while Kara was around would put the woman on the defensive to limit the embarrassment she had no doubt felt at being ‘proven’ wrong. It had hurt but Kara had understood. 

Their relationship would have been all right if that thing with Adam hadn't happened, especially in such way. First, there had been her sister who had drawn her attention to the stranger flirting with her, then that very same stranger turning out to be Cat's estranged son. While she had been too busy to help them fix their own issues, the two had obviously conspired against her resulting in Adam blindsiding her by asking her out on a date. She had liked the guy, his teasingly sharp comments and ability to sort through bullshit so alike his mother's, but she didn't know if she had liked him enough to go out with him on her own, without the perceived pressure from her sister and boss. But, it had been nice, she had to admit, spoiled only by James's odd brooding moments and Cat's overly congenial attitude that had frankly unnerved her. Alex had mentioned that Cat had sounded like she had been jealous and overcompensating for it, and now as she looked back she could agree. Of course, Bizarro Supergirl had put a stop to it, bringing along the terrible news of Maxwell Lord knowing who she was. 

If she could take back her actions with Adam, she would. Not the fact that she had contacted him, pretending to be his mother. Not even working with both of them to communicate a bit easier. The thing she would change was her ill-thought out acceptance of the date and the consequences that had stemmed from it. Yes, it had been nice to spend time with him, but ultimately it hadn't been worth the pain she had seen in Cat's eyes after the breakup. Both Cat and her had been at fault there, but Kara had realized she should have been better at keeping the professional boundaries with the guy, considering who he was. 

The already deteriorating relationship between them had only gotten worse due to J'onn's well-intentioned intervention to help her keep the job she loved, where the Martian, unused to the power that was Cat Grant, blundered through the list of definite no-nos in the workplace, and destroying what little headway she had made in fixing her mess. 

The appointment of Siobhan as the first assistant had hurt a lot, lot more than she had ever expected. To be pointedly ignored and relegated to meaningless and mindless tasks while Cat flaunted her acceptance of the competitive brunette had made Kara dread the time she would spend at her work, and after only two days of such arrangement she had seriously considered tending in her resignation. Only the fact that it had been exactly what Cat had wanted her to do, and her own stubbornness and unwillingness to give up on the woman who had meant so much to her had stayed her hand. 

Ironically, it had been the Red Kryptonite that had helped her sort her work situation, and it had been the aftermath of her actions under the influence of the synthetic mineral that had made her fully comprehend how much the rift between Cat and her had hurt her, the pain of it making Kara lash out against the woman in most frightening way. Supergirl had retaliated for all the hurt and humiliation Kara had felt over it, but she in her Kara Danvers ego had tossed in a few barbs that had caused raised eyebrows at her uncharacteristic behavior. 

“We’re here,” Cat said, her voice uncharacteristically soft as she pulled Kara’s attention from her own thoughts. Opening the door to the car even before the driver got the chance to get out of his seat, the media mogul got out, stepping on the curb with all the elegance befit the queen, her languid steps entrancing Kara, before the pointed look over the woman’s shoulder reminded her that she was to follow and be quick about it. 

The young woman rushed, stepping out on the street and slamming the door of the car a bit harder than she intended, wincing at the sharp sound that draw the looks of the passers-by to them. Doing her best to ignore the strangers, she came to Cat's side and offered a tremulous smile that quickly disappeared under the older woman's raised eyebrow. 

Cat clucked her tongue once and went into the restaurant, and spotting the Maître D' evading the waiters to reach the receiving area faster, she smirked at her companion and politely gave her name to the hostess by the door. 

“I'll deal with the guests, Rachel,” the man said in a soft but nonetheless demanding voice, as he gestured Cat to follow him. “This way, please, Ms. Grant,” he added as he led them to the discreetly sectioned part of the main floor, further away from the windows and tastefully hidden away from most of the guests at the front, without seeming suffocating. As he brought them to their table, he gestured to one of the men leaving the kitchens in a sharp motion. 

“Here you are,” the Maître D' spoke, pulling out the chair for Cat, while the newly summoned man did the same for Kara. “This is Eric, and he will be your server for the evening. And, should you need or want anything, I am at your disposal.” 

“Good evening, Ms. Grant, Miss,” the server started his spiel but as soon as he turned to reciting the names of french sounding dishes and something that sounded vaguely Asian, giving out two leather bound booklets, Kara caught Cat’s eyes and shrugged, not even daring to consider looking at the menu of this no doubt extravagantly priced place. 

“One martini, with three olives and,” Cat looked over at Kara expectantly, to which the younger woman just spoke quietly “A sparkling cider, please,” avoiding to look in direction of Cat’s eyes. “And, a sparkling cider.” Before Eric could bustle away to bring the drinks, the Queen of All Media stopped him. “We’ll take the tasting menu, but bear in mind that we are very hungry,” she said, placing a subtle emphasis on the very in the sentence. The server inclined his head in acceptance, gathering back the menus before quickly disappearing from their sides. 

As soon as he vanished, Cat turned toward her companion and sighed. “We need to talk.”


	3. Chapter 3

Her thoughts rushing uncomfortably over the unusual request for the server, considering the fact that Cat was a picky eater and rarely ate more than a half of her usual portion, Kara reached out for the glass of water on the table, gaining a several seconds of time to think of something to say. “We - We do?” Almost spilling the chilled liquid over her lap at hearing herself speak, she internally rolled her eyes, and watched her boss do the same from across the table. 

“Don’t you think so?” The mogul looked over the woman in front of her and waited. For what, she didn't exactly know, but she hoped the conversation would go her way. 

Finally bringing the water to her lips, Kara drank the whole glass before placed it gently on the table. Was she getting fired? She asked herself, but instantly, her mind supplied her with a negative answer. Cat wouldn't have bothered with the restaurant if she wanted her gone. No, whatever this was, it was both important and probably positive. 

“About, about what?” Kara spoke but before the woman across from her could answer, Eric had interrupted. They both kept silence while the man fussed with the drinks and pouring Kara another glass of water, the soft sounds of his actions only drawing attention to the tension building between the two women. 

Cat reached for her martini and sipped the beverage, looking over the rim of her glass at Kara, deciding how to start. “Many things.” 

After all, it would be upon her to guide this conversation, and she had several points she had to make. “First, I need to apologize.” She placed her drink down and gestured to Kara not to talk, leaning forward, ignoring the stunned expression on the other woman’s face. “For Adam. For how I handled every part of that whole situation. I never really thanked you for enabling me to be in contact with him.” Looking over at the young woman she offered a barely there smile. “He called yesterday,” she informed Kara, and seeing the returning smile on her assistant’s face, she continued. “We talked long into the night, and I can finally say that we’re in a much better place.”

“I-I’m glad,” Kara murmured gently.

Cat dipped her head in acknowledgement. “But, during our talk, I came to a realization.” Not so much as realization as a full strength punch to the solar plexus, brought on by the contrite words of her son, Cat mused silently to herself. “Both Adam and I used you to get to the other one.” As the girl opened her mouth to speak, leaning closer to the table, Cat only raised her palm to stop her. “I won’t apologize for him, but I pushed you into accepting his offer of date, even though I could see you weren’t quite comfortable with it. In my mind, it was a way of keeping him here.” She reached for her glass and sipped the gin based drink. “My involvement in your date pushed all the personal boundaries and crossed most of the professional ones. If I am to be honest, what I did could be construed as peddling you out to my son.”

“Ms. Grant,” Kara had to interject but she hesitated after speaking the woman’s name, not really knowing what to say.

Cat directed a piercing glare at the young woman, who even now tried to make things easier for her. Bless her kind heart, Cat thought with affection, but she couldn’t let Kara go over it that simply. “And, I am sure that was only one of my many sins against you.” Again, the girl tried to speak, but quelled by Cat’s sharp look, she only reached for the cider. “Remember this, Kara,” Cat said solemnly, pronouncing the young woman’s name properly for the first time in the assistant’s vicinity and causing the girl to startle and sit up straight in surprise, “I very rarely apologize, and almost never to the people outside my family, but, for this, I will break my rule. I am sorry for embroiling you in my schemes with Adam. I apologize for pushing you to go out with him and for taking it out on you when he left. And, thank you for writing him that letter. You were right, I would have never reached out to him on my own.”

“Ms. Grant, I only did what I thought was right,” Kara spoke earnestly. “I saw how much it was weighing on you and I... “ she tapered off at the inscrutable eyes peering at her. “I wanted to help,” she added softly, looking down, as her fingers traced the drops of condensation on her glass.

Cat smirked at the predictable answer and drank her martini, as her eyes caught Eric approaching with their food, trailed by another man that she guessed was the busser.

“Right,” the waiter spoke as he came up to the table with the plate. “The twelve course tasting menu, with the compliments of the chef,” he said as he brought out the first course, unperturbed by the reaction of the young woman in front of him. “Hors d’oeuvres - zucchini fritters with Pecorino Romano Parmesan cheese,” he said as he placed the plate down between the women, while the other man refilled Kara’s glass of water, the staff leaving them alone quickly after,  

“Twe-twelve?” Kara stuttered in awe, her eyes widening at the smirk directed at her. Being the assistant to Ms. Grant afforded Kara a look into the prices of high class restaurants or boutiques, but even with all that knowledge, Kara couldn’t even guess how much the dinner would cost, and for Ms. Grant to be spending it on her - it was stupendously unimaginable, and yet, there they were. 

“I’m sure we’ll be able to deal with it,” Cat said mischievously as she picked up a fritter and biting into it, softly humming at its taste. “Go on,” she motioned to the still stunned girl. “Eat.”

Unable to resist the offer of food, Kara took one piece of the fried vegetable and gingerly bit into it, avoiding Cat’s eyes. It was strange, eating in front of the woman, and even though she liked the texture of the finger food she was eating, she resolved to eat only that one, because she couldn’t eat too much as it would definitely wake up the old suspicion in her boss.

“Where were we?” Cat said after she finished with her piece of zucchini. “Ah, yes. After hashing out everything with Adam and thinking upon the events in the Plaza, some things crystallized for me, and I’ve decided to do something about them.” She was looking the young woman across from her chewing slowly on her vegetable fritter, all the while glancing down at the plate in front of her. “Go on, Keira,” she spoke kindly after witnessing the slight movement of Kara’s hand, as if she had stopped herself from reaching out. “I know you have a healthy appetite, and you must be starving with all the running around for me,” she said, providing the girl with an excuse to eat more. Pleased to see the young woman grab another fritter, she smiled. 

“What have you decided, Ms. Grant?” Kara asked, after swallowing her bite. 

“Well,” Cat spoke coyly, prolonging the syllable as she brought the glass of water to her lips and sipped. “Some decisions I’ve made are regarding my life and my work, but there are several of them I’ve made in regards to you.”

“Me?”

Cat barely managed to stop a chuckle from leaving her lips at the yet another surprised and confused look directed her way. And, she would get many more of those during the night, she knew. “Yes, you,” Cat replied and sighed, lowering the glass onto the table and crossing her legs, her fingers straightening out a crease in her dress. “But, that is for later. Now, I want to hear about James and the Lighthouse.”

Kara choked at Cat’s words, her cheeks turning red and food stopping in her throat, needing water to help her swallow. “I don’t think there is much to talk about,” she said haltingly after managing to breathe again, her face still too flushed for her comfort. At Cat’s inquiring look, Kara sighed and absently took another piece of hors d’oeuvres, nibbling on it as she thought on what she was about to say. “I’ve been thinking about it in the last few days, and I don’t know… It doesn’t feel right. I can’t really explain it.”

“What makes you say that?” Cat asked gently, her posture portraying interest in the topic. 

Kara, unused to such attention from her boss, who was notoriously too prickly for these kinds of conversations, took up another fritter, almost stuffing it whole in her mouth before she remembered who she was with. “Stuff happened, things changed,” she replied vaguely, not really able to speak about her problem without revealing her secret identity. “I realized that I have mistaken something for something else, and that I’ve been making a fool out of myself.”

“Mr. Flash help you with those realizations?”

Kara chuckled, her laugh coming off as nervous and uneasy at the reminder that Cat had known who the Flash had been, as she fiddled with her glasses. “Barry, he talked about his girlfriend, and the way he spoke about her…”

Cat hummed at Kara’s words. “You know that people feel different things in different ways,” she offered gently. “There is no need to compare your feelings to others’, or to dismiss them because they don’t fit a certain mould.” Leaning back, she placed her arm over the back of her chair while her other forearm rested on the table, and spoke with care. “And, whether you, as you said, mistook some feeling for another or not, as long as you are comfortable with it, it doesn’t really matter. You’re a young woman, you can have fun. It is encouraged, even.” 

Kara nodded as she listened to the other woman, eating the last of the zucchini from the plate. It was an advice much similar to something Eliza would tell her, reminding her to take her own time and enjoy herself. “Thank you, Ms. Grant,” she spoke after a brief but contemplative silence, entwining the fingers of her hands on the table in front of her. “But, things between us changed and the idea of being with James just doesn’t feel…” she shrugged her shoulders and fiddled with her palms, unable to find the words even though, for some reason, she wanted to explain her feelings to the older woman, to acknowledge and reward the show of openness the woman had instigated. “It’s like - I had a crush on this man, the Jimmy Olsen of Daily Planet, and he took interest in me, in plain old me, and-”

She was interrupted by Cat’s soft spoken words, “There is nothing plain about you,” that made her flush again, but bravely, she ignored the interjection and continued.

“The more I learned about him, the more my crush grew but it also changed into something else. It wasn’t about liking him, but about sharing things with him and him sharing things with me. It was about the closeness, the propinquity.”

Raising her eyebrow at the use of the term, Cat considered Kara’s words. “Intimacy,” she said.

“Yes,” Kara agreed. “I was jealous of him and Lucy because they had that connection, something that had always seemed impossible to obtain for me, outside my family, and for some reason, I thought James would be my chance of that. But, I was wrong.” She stopped talking just in time to look up at the server approaching the table, again with the busser in tow.

As the two men quickly replaced the large platter for the two new small plates in smooth and practiced manner, Eric spoke with traces of gusto in his voice. “Amuse-bouche - sweet potato chips with organic goat cheese and Beluga caviar. Would you like something else to drink?” he asked as the busser took Cat’s empty martini glass. 

“Just water, please,” Cat spoke, dismissing them right after her glass was filled and with a hurried but respectful ‘Enjoy’ the two men walked away. She planned to tackle quite a few hard topics during the evening and drinking alcohol would only make thing easier to mess up and make the situation more uncomfortable.

Taking a moment to try the chips, she glanced over at Kara. “That kind of intimacy comes from years of closeness,” she spoke carefully, returning to the conversation at hand. “And, it comes from being honest, with yourself and the other person and from shared trust,” she added, the words Kara had spoken to Adam still present in her mind. During their long conversation, their talk turned to the young cheerleader in front of her, and Adam had told her what the young woman had said just minutes before being kidnapped by Bizarro.  _ “It’s always been hard for me to feel normal.” _ And, hearing those words had made Cat’s heart clench in sympathy for her assistant.

“I know that,” Kara mumbled softly, glaring at the plate in front of her and at the artfully arranged chips at the center of it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly, the short, sweet story turned into something else... But, anyway...

Cat rolled her eyes at the petulant grumble coming from her assistant. She knew that the conversation between them would be too stilted and careful if they kept dancing around the subject of Kara’s other job, but for the first time in a long time, she didn’t want to rush into the mess that the revealing talk would turn into, particularly not with her characteristic bullheadedness and disregard for the other party. Not when the young woman across from her was on the line. So, she considered the girl, watching her hesitantly reach for the crispy potato and studiously ignoring the caviar, go straight to the goat cheese. When Kara stuffed the whole chip in her mouth, Cat had to smile, the blue eyes glimmering in childish glee at the success bringing the affection she felt for the girl to yet another level. 

“Let’s just say, for the sake of the argument,” Cat started slowly, making sure not to startle Kara while she ate the rapidly diminishing portion of potato between them and sipping on the remains of her cider. She kept her upper body relaxed and wide open, having noticed long ago that her assistant had somehow become tuned in all the ways her body language radiated her intent and reacting accordingly. Cat needed Kara to see her as mellow and non-threatening because speaking about this would be hard enough even without the girl’s need to avoid the possible minefields in order to keep the peace. “That you have certain trust issues,” the Media Queen continued softly, keeping her voice low and gentle and her eyes connected to Kara’s, silently begging her to indulge in this hypothetical scenario (that actually wasn’t). “Brought on by a traumatic event in your childhood, one that has forever stamped its mark upon you. And, that the only people you have let in since then are the family that has taken you in right after because they were the only points of stability in your new and strange world of being an orphan.” Meticulously choosing her words to present the situation as close to the truth she could but not to reveal that she knew Kara’s true origins was a hard task, but one she didn’t really mind. “Since then, you have given your trust to Winn, but only recently, and James.” She paused to see if the woman across from her would say something, but when only a tremulous and jerky nod followed her words, Cat went on. “Winslow because he has been your closest friend for two years, and James because something about him made it easy for you to trust him.” Dipping her head slightly, Cat held her eyes connected to Kara’s. “Can we say that?” she asked, the words coming out of her mouth even with more gentleness than she actually intended. 

“Yes,” Kara agreed after a short period of silence, her eyes crinkling in confusion by the direction of their talk. 

“Can we also say that because of the something that made you trust James, you found yourself wanting intimacy with him, something you are not comfortable asking from others?”

“I-I guess,” the young woman replied hesitantly, breaking the intense look between them, her fingers turning the chips in her hand into dust.

“I understand why would that make things easier for you, but you have to know that just because of that he doesn’t have to be your only choice,” Cat said kindly. “Others might require more time and effort, but you can have that intimacy with them if you want. Like you did with Winslow.” Stopping herself from speaking more, the older woman took a long swallow from her glass of water.

“Ms. Grant,” the young hero spoke after a while, but before she could say what was really on her mind, her boss interrupted her.

“I think, for tonight, you can call me Cat,” Cat offered with a soft crooked smile, quickly gone from her lips, but the invitation and the short glimpse of the woman Kara had always known had hid behind the harsh and controlling demeanor made her feel warm and honored, because it was an offer of friendship, of a closer personal relationship - something that Kara had feared impossible after the disastrous events of Black Mercy. 

“Cat,” Kara smiled, even though she flashed back to the last time she had called the woman so, internally cringing at the anger and hate that had colored her words then. “Cat, I know that what you’re saying is true, my foster mother has always said something similar to me, but…”

“But,” Cat continued for her, “it’s hard, and uncertain and oftentimes not worth it.” Kara eagerly nodded at her words, but then Cat chuckled. “I thought I’d be the last person to talk about this, considering my love life, but if you allow yourself a chance, people might surprise you.” She peered into the blue eyes as Kara pushed back her glasses and tucked an errant lock of her hair behind her ear. “You formed a friendship with Mr. Allen, didn’t you? There are certainly others who will be worth your time and effort.” She tapped her fingers lightly against the cloth covered surface of the table, shifting her look slightly away from the girl in front of her, as she saw their servers coming to them.

At Cat’s minute but noticeable change in posture, Kara knew that they were about to be interrupted so she kept quiet, using the break in conversation to wipe her hands and drink the remains of her apple cider. 

Eric gestured to the busboy beside him to quickly remove the two plates, giving him enough time and room to put down two bowls of soup, as he quickly rattled of the ingredients and the seasonal additions. Not paying attention to his words, Kara only noted that it was a cream of asparagus soup, the small portion in front of her looking delightful and inviting. As she picked up a spoon to eat, she looked up and saw the other woman smirking affectionately at her, waiting for her to start eating. Blushing under Cat’s gaze, Kara just lowered her head and focused onto her meal, not ready to talk again just yet.

Cat had made good points, and it did make her feel better about her half-formed decision to avoid going into murky waters with James, especially since he had been still behaving so weird after Barry’s visit. However, despite the relief she had gotten with the conversation so far, Kara knew that it wasn’t what Cat had in mind for their ‘needed’ talk. The whole production just screamed something much bigger than issues with James. Even the apology about Adam, though much appreciated, didn’t rate the twelve course dinner. 

“I need you to promise me something,” Cat spoke suddenly, just as Kara was finishing up with what little of her soup was there. Kara looked up and saw the clenched jaw and furrowed brows on her boss’s face, her tumultuous green eyes piercing Kara. Tilting her head slightly to her side as she placed her spoon down, Kara waited for Cat to continue. “I need to talk to you about several things, many of which you will not want to discuss. I want you to promise me that you will not leave until we are done with all the courses, no matter how hard you want to run.”

“Cat?”

Again with the look of confusion, the magnate noted to herself, before she leaned toward, bringing her hand only mere inches away from Kara’s. “You can’t leave,” she insisted. “Promise me.”

“Yes, I promise you,” Kara spoke, flustered by the sudden seriousness of the older blonde. 

“Your word?”

“I give you my word,” the young woman confirmed, even though she now feared what would come next. 

“No emergencies, or such. You must stay until the end.”

“Cat, is everything alright?” Kara asked instead, her fingers twitching closer toward Cat’s hand. 

“Kara,” Cat said, her voice rising with the rarely witnessed edge of distress.

“I promise, Cat, I won’t leave,” the hero spoke despite her own misgivings, needing to erase the anxiety in the other woman, her palm covering Cat’s. “I won’t leave,” she said again, her voice firmer, carrying a trace of her alter ego’s power.

“Thank you,” the mogul replied softly, relief quite visible in her posture as she squeezed Kara’s fingers in appreciation, refusing to let them go even as Eric joined them again, bringing candied carrots as appetizers with him. “I am not done apologizing to you,” she spoke quietly when they were alone again. 

“Cat, really, there is no need.”

“That day when Dirk Armstrong was arrested,” Cat started, and suddenly Kara knew what this was about, feeling her blood leave her face. She tried to remove her fingers from the other woman’s hold, careful not to break anything, but Cat was grasping them tightly, her hand uncharacteristically shaking. It was the sign of the woman’s nervousness rather than the firm hold that stopped Kara from pulling away, remaining frozen in her seat, avoiding the green eyes looking at her. “I should have never confronted you about it.”

Hearing the unexpected words fall out of her boss’s lips, Kara glanced up, catching the remorseful pout before Cat released her hand and brought both of her own in her lap. “I was blinded by the enormous exclusive potential and I ambushed you. Too caught up in the sense of victory over that man and the journalistic thrill of finding the biggest story, I never stopped to think about you in all of that.” Cat sighed, twirling the elaborate ring on her middle finger of her right hand with her thumb. “It took me a while to recognize all the dangers of exposing you like that, not only for you but for myself.”

“Ms. Grant, I-”

“And, maybe, if I proved myself to be trustworthy, you would have come to me on your own,” Cat spoke over Kara’s attempt of denial, her regret and shame obvious to the young woman. Shaking her head, the older blonde flexed her shoulders as she raised her head. “But, it doesn’t matter. You have done so much for me and mine but I failed you, and I am sorry.” 

“Ms. Grant, I’m not-” Kara tried again but Cat leveled a sharp look at her. 

“I told you yesterday, I can spot extraordinary hiding in plain sight,” Cat said with a huff, before she sighed again. “Please, don’t insult me with your denials. Your secret is safe with me, I swear. I’ll swear on Carter if you want.” 

The superhero gasped at the offer, knowing that it was the ultimate pledge Cat was offering her, because she would never break her word over Carter, no matter how important the thing.

“The two of you did make me doubt what I knew for a moment, but I had a feeling I was set up. However, when you refused to come in after Adam, the person pretending to be you completely gave the game away. I mean, honestly, even at your worst you would never resort to fake crying in the office.” Cat rolled her eyes and smiled briefly. “They obviously never knew how good you are at what you do and how much pride you take in it.” Taking several bits of carrots in her hand, Cat continued. “I knew for sure when that black ops group subdued you after your,” Cat waved her hand in front of her temple, “brain thing.” 

With a sigh, Kara leaned back, letting her shoulders slump down. She had forgotten the media had followed her and the DEO, filming the whole thing and exposing J’onn as a shapeshifter. More concerned about the fallout from her actions with Alex and Cat among everything else, she had ignored the news broadcast of that day. Shaking her head in defeat, she breathed out a rueful chuckle. “My sister always told me that my disguise was ridiculous and that I am terrible at keeping secrets,” she spoke, offering the subtle confirmation, resigned to the fact that Cat had known, and that she didn’t have to lie anymore.

“That’s not always a bad thing,” Cat spoke honestly. “But, you can blame James for this,” she added smuggly. “If he hadn’t fawned over you so quickly, it would’ve taken me longer to make a connection between your alter ego and you.”

“Really?”

Cat chuckled then she spoke with a lowered voice. “I found it curious for him to come to National City just in time for Supergirl to show up, when his connection to Superman so obvious and widely recognized. And, then, he would always huddle up with you, whenever there was a crisis for the hero.” 

They ate the candied carrots in silence that followed Cat’s illuminating words, when Kara thought of something.

“The other day, when I told you about Livewire,” Kara frowned as she remembered that moment in Cat’s office quite vividly, when her boss had refused to leave, to even contemplate evacuating to safety. “You knew.”

“I did,” the older woman said with a gentle indulgent smile. “I knew you’d be able to deal with Leslie, especially with The Flash in tow and I never lost faith in you.” Having indulged Kara’s look of bashful awe and flustered acceptance of her support, she narrowed her eyes at the blonde. “But, you have. I could see it in the way you would grimace at the reports, in the air of defeat around you.” Leaning forward, she placed her forearms onto the table. “I knew that with the right motivation you would rise to the occasion and that others would see what I’ve known all along. You are astonishing.”


	5. Chapter 5

Giving Kara time to come to terms of not fooling her in regards to her identity, Cat kept quiet, going through her salad half heartedly, watching the extraordinary woman out of the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t look away, and yet she didn’t want to make Kara uncomfortable with the staring. 

Her assistant was looking to the side, her gaze fixed on the wall separating them from the rest of the guests, tracing the intricate metallic arabesques flowing over the dark green surface, while she absently ate her portion of the salad Eric had brought them only minutes before. Dressed in her usual attire of maroon pants and white shirt with black stripes, Cat expected the young woman to feel self-conscious about her clothes in the upscale restaurant, but aside from an uncomfortable look over the high fashion of the other patrons, Kara was at ease, especially since they had come to this secluded part of the establishment. With her hair gathered in a loose ponytail, her glasses and slight slouch, Kara looked nothing like the heroic Maiden of Might, but just underneath the looks, Cat knew without a doubt, was a brave and kind hearted alien who was protecting the National City. 

“I am not going to run,” the young woman spoke as she turned her head toward the media powerhouse to catch her eye, gently placing her utensil down, having finished with the lettuce and tomato garden salad.

“I didn’t think you were,” Cat replied honestly.  “Are you alright? After… the Plaza?”

“I am OK,” Kara said, her eyes crinkling in affection as she smiled at the caring tone of her boss. “Nothing a bit of sunshine and rest couldn’t fix.” Her words were just vague enough not to alert their servers to the topic of their talk.

“Ms. Grant, Miss, the sixth course,” the waiter spoke as the busboy removed the salad bowls. “Grilled salmon with a soy sauce marinade. Would you like the accompanying wine selection?”

Kara shook her head at the question and Cat looked up at Eric. “No, thank you. Just the water.”

“As you wish,” Eric said as his colleague refreshed the drinks at the table. “Enjoy.”

“So, how is Carter?” the young woman asked as she cut into the meat. “Does he like D.C?” Placing the fork in her mouth, she closed her eyes and exhaled. Usually, she didn’t like the fish based meals and rarely had the opportunity to eat them, aside from a portion of sushi here and there at Alex’s request, when her sister would win the food choice argument. But, this. This was great!

Cat smirked at the obvious enjoyment on the other woman’s face, not minding at all the conversation’s turn. After all, Carter adored Kara and had been disappointed to hear about Cat’s stunt with Siobhan. And, the young woman had a knack for making her boy comfortable at CatCo, easily going along with his idiosyncrasies. Honestly, Kara was the only one who had managed to engage her son to speak more than just a few words of polite greeting at the office, others usually ignored as he would do his homework or watch his mother do the edits. “He’s been before, both I and his father took him there on various occasions.” She watched as her words drew Kara out of her food fascination and brought the girl’s focus on her. “I made him go,” she said after a beat. “Well, he agreed to go as a sort of an immersion experiment, to share the experience with other students from his school.” 

Kara hummed in understanding. “And, how is the school?”

“He likes it now, after we managed to convince his teachers that he is capable of taking his AP classes in Science.” For a fourteen year old that was quite an accomplishment and Cat was very proud of her boy. Of course, she had to pull some strings to get the staff at St. Edmund Hall to test Carter for placement despite his age, but there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her son. Well, sons. “It helps that they have understanding for his quirks, so he isn’t as isolated as he’d been in the previous one.” Having been looking at Kara, she noticed a slight tightening of her eyes at the mention of quirks and isolation, and it made Cat wonder about the girl’s experience in school. Small town schools weren’t quite known for being bastions of tolerance, and from what Cat could remember from their previous conversations, Kara had arrived when she had been thirteen, or at least that’s when she had gotten to her foster family. A new kid, from a completely foreign culture, in a small town school - it must have not been easy for the young woman sitting across from her. With that realization, Cat couldn’t help but think of the age discrepancy and all the things she couldn’t explain happening around the girl, when for many years the world had thought that Superman was the last of the faraway planet. But, those were the questions for another time, when they weren’t out in public. “From what I could see, you’ve had some experience with that,” Cat spoke softly, remembering all the softly uttered encouragements her assistant had for her son. 

Kara sighed, rubbing her eyes under her glasses with her right hand, her left still holding the fork. “My people… They were technologically and scientifically more advanced,” she said quietly, with her eyes looking through Cat, into the past. Melancholy filled her voice as her brows slightly furrowed. “Significantly more.” She thought back on how much trouble she had had with suppressing herself from correcting her teachers on some physics phenomena and equations. How many problems she had with using only simple vector calculations while her mind would whirl off in much, much advanced mathematical computation. “Coming here and learning that this world uses internal combustion engines, something that the all the places I have been to had surpassed eons before…” Kara sighed again and focused back on the woman in front of her. “School was… hard. Socially, I was an outcast. Academically, I just tried to fit in into the average grades of my peers, with varied success. If not for Alex, school would’ve been Hell.” At the memory of her sister, her smile turned wistful. “She’s kept me grounded from the first moment I met her. Even with all the resentments and annoyances I inspired in her, she has never left me to flounder.”

Something in Kara’s tone reeked of sadness and need and Cat leaned closer. “Where is she?”

The blue eyes glanced toward green before they looked away, a glossy sheen of suppressed tears visible under the mild lights of the restaurant. “I don’t know,” Kara quavered, her hand reaching for the water.

Cat knew that the hero in front of her didn’t want to talk about her sister, for some quite emotional reason, and she was willing to let it go, for now. As they were finished with the fish, she let Kara compose herself in silence while they waited for Eric.

A minute later, the man came and brought the next course, while his colleague removed the plates with the previous one. “Roasted duck with orange bourbon glaze,” he declared shortly, and the men left. 

“This looks amazing,” the young woman said as she reached for the utensils, making Cat chuckle at the enthusiasm showing on Kara’s face. So far, the girl had cleaned up everything set in front of her, apart from the dollop of caviar which she had intently avoided, and yet, she still seemed hungry. Cat, on the other hand, had paced herself, taking only niblets out of her portions, familiar with what’s more to come. She had noticed long ago that the woman in front of her ate full meals too many times a day, even though Kara had tried to conceal her food intake from the people in the office, and that the intake most certainly doubled, if not tripled with the appearance of Supergirl. And, she had also noticed that the girl would most likely go for the things with high sugar and caloric content. “Oh Gosh, this is incredible,” the girl mumbled as she stuffed another bite in her mouth. Taking a bite for herself, Cat had to somewhat agree. It wasn’t the best duck she had eaten, but it rated highly, the succulent meat paired well with the sweetness of the glaze. However, two or three bites were quite enough for her, but she didn’t plan to waste the generous portion she had gotten. After she watched Kara demolish her own, in between the hums and sighs of enjoyment, she cleared her throat, drawing the woman’s attention and offered her her own plate. 

“Take this, and give me yours,” she urged when she saw Kara’s cheek pink up, while the woman hesitated. “Go on, I don’t mind.” Exchanging the plates, Cat considered how to ask the question without it sounding as a reprimand or judgement. But, the girl surprised her pleasantly as she was wont to do.

“I burn energy rather quickly, especially if I am out there,” Kara explained as she cut the meat into small pieces. “Even though I technically get more than enough power from the yellow Sun, food supplements it,” she added, before she took a few more bites, slowly this time.

“How much do you need?” Cat delicately asked.

Chewing, the hero quickly went through her calculations. “On a regular day, four - five thousand Calories, while on more demanding days, I’ve been known to need over ten, sometimes even fifteen thousand.”

Cat sat there, lost for words. That equaled seven to nine regular people in food intake on a hard day! And, the CEO knew, she just knew that it was impossible for supporting such expenses on Kara’s salary at CatCo. “How do you finance that?” she questioned with worry.

Suddenly, the girl in front of her looked down and blushed, slightly leaning away from the table, with only her fists holding the utensils resting upon it. “I-I, um, I have, a, uh, trust fund,” she stammered. “My cousin and a friend of his helped set it up with my foster family,” she admitted through a whisper, still avoiding to look at Cat. “It’s for all the ‘extra’ stuff,” she added softly. 

“A trust fund?” Cat couldn’t help but echo with surprise. When she saw Kara flinch at her tone, she stopped herself from thinking of a scornful remark to comment on it, but leaned closer and extended her hand toward the girl in apology. “It’s OK,” she whispered. “It just surprised me, but I applaud the foresight and forethought your cousin had for your needs,” she said with praise, seeking the shyly lowered blue eyes. “But, I guess, his were similar, so he knew…” she mumbled scoffingly in addition, waiting for the hero to snap out of that embarrassed state. As the magnate expected, Kara looked up, her eyes narrowing in indignation, piercing her. “There you are,” Cat smiled in triumph. “There is no need of feeling uncomfortable with having that sort of help, Kara. Nor is there to be ashamed of needing it.”

“It’s just…” the young woman sighed. “It’s a lot.” With a slightly hesitant pause, she returned to the plate, scooping what was left of the duck. 

“What ‘extra’ does it cover?” Cat asked after a moment, curiosity clear in her gentle tones. 

Kara swallowed and shook her head slowly. “I break things when I don’t pay attention. Dishes, handles, furniture… Clothes and phones don’t last long.”

Cat chuckled in realization. “That would explain it.” At the assistant’s confused look, Cat smirked. “A year or so ago came a memo from the Inventory, noting a strange uptick in spent office supplies, among the most curious ones the desk phone replacements, with most of the returned ones having a broken receiver. But, the memo also noted pens, staplers, cups…” Cat trailed off when she saw the girl across the table hiding behind her hands. “It’s alright, Kara. It’s not like CatCo doesn’t have the budget for it.” Although, she had kept her voice light, she was filled with compassion for the hero - to be so strong that you had to be careful with every touch, every step, to learn how to shake hands, how to hug, to be always on guard, making sure you don’t hurt others just by your very presence… It also explained why would Kara avoid getting too near her while walking, carefully watching her and others as they moved, it explained a small pause in her movements most of the times she would approach the doors in the office. Them being made of glass certainly didn’t make things easier on the girl. “Kara, really, it’s alright,” Cat maintained, trying to coax the girl back to the table. 

The hero of National City just slumped against the chair, her hands falling into her lap, and that, what Cat would call a casual and unconscious move only five minutes before, actually brought to attention how careful and aware of her surroundings Kara had to be every second of her day. However, before she could speak, Cat was once more interrupted by the arrival of their server for the evening.

Following up with the tradition of the course eight in the twelve course meal, Eric brought them lemon sorbet scoops in small but beautifully sculpted crystal cups.


	6. Chapter 6

With each minute passing in awkward silence broken only by the sound of knives scratching the plates as they cut through the grilled flat iron steak or forks as they chased the rosemary spring potatoes, the young hero grew more and more uncomfortable, but she didn’t know how to break the weird stalemate between the two of them. Except for Carter, every conversation topic that evening had been brought up by Cat, and Kara didn’t know what to ask, or if she should ask anything. And, letting the silence grow would only make their relationship even more fragile and strained. So, having swallowed the last of the pork and having taken a sip of the water, she opened her mouth and said the first thing that came to her mind.

“There is a telepathic parasitic plant based life form that exists on worlds close to where Krypton was and it’s called Black Mercy,” Kara revealed in slow and measured voice. “It attacks life forms that have higher cognitive functions, and wrapping its quite mobile limbs around its victims it injects them with a psychoactive hallucinogenic paralytic that cause the victim to dream their perfect fantasy world, where everything is ideal and quintessential, and they forget their reality; and while the victim is trapped in the hallucination it starts feeding off it until the host dies. The victims cannot defend themselves, as the plant is faster and stronger than a Kryptonian, and if someone else tries to get it off the victim, it engages the symbiotic defence, killing the host.”

Cat frowned at the non-sequitur, while interesting and terrifying, it didn’t really connect to any of their previous topics, nor did she know what the hero was getting at with the story, having absolutely no idea what was the point the girl was trying to make. However, she did not dare to interrupt Kara, relieved at the break in that awful quietude. When the alien’s distant eyes darted her way, seeking a sign from her, she nodded, prompting Kara to continue.

“One day, after I stopped Bizarro from killing James and after a terse conversation with my boss,” Kara softly alluded to Cat’s harsh reprimand and punishment. “I went on a last patrol of the day and, then, to my place. I just wanted for that day to end. But, I was attacked, in my own home by an enemy I knew nothing about. I lost consciousness within seconds.” 

The day James had been kidnapped had been the same day Adam had gone home, Cat realized with a horrified gasp. Remembering what she had said, lashing out at her assistant for her son’s decision, she cringed, Kara’s stricken look quite vivid in her mind.

“I woke up on Krypton, in my old room in the rises of Argo City, with my mother watching over me. As seconds passed, I forgot why it was impossible for me to be home, to be with my family. And, why would I be anywhere else, when everything was so perfect where I was.” Kara’s voice was monotone, but it still carried the edge of pain and bitterness. “My mother, my father, my maternal aunt, my cousin, my friends - they were there, they were alive and all was well.” She drank the whole glass of water, wetting her throat and as she lowered the glass down at the table, she returned her eyes to Cat. “You see, the only way to survive the plant is to reject the fantasy, and with every minute spent in the hallucination, the fantasy grows stronger and more elaborate. But, I didn’t know that.”

Closing her eyes at the picture Kara was painting quite well, Cat stifled a sob clawing at her throat. That day of the solar storm, Kara had been dying and she had been horrible to Winn, threatening both his job and Kara’s. Shame flooded her as a wonderful taste of her steak turned to ash, and she felt sick, but she couldn’t move. She had to hear Kara’s story to the end. She could have lost someone very dear to her, and she hadn’t been even aware of it, too self-involved in her own problems and petty grievances.

“When people I work with finally found out what was a way to save me, I had been under for more than twenty hours, and the odds of it working were…” the young blonde shook her head, a grim expression on her face telling. “The only one who had even a remote chance of reaching me was Alex, my sister, my tethering point. But, if something were to go wrong, both of us would have died. She went for it, anyway.”

Cat decided firmly that she would find Alex Danvers and get her whatever the woman wants. Yes, the elder Danvers had done it for her sister, but the Media Mogul had to repay it somehow. She had to at least show her thanks for saving Kara.

“The plant sensed the intrusion, and it manipulated me to ambush Alex and bring her to trial, where she was sentenced to what equaled as capital punishment for being an alien spy. But, she didn’t give up, and somehow, she got me to remember who I was and who my family now was.” Kara lifted her head up, blinking rapidly, and brought her arms around herself, holding tightly on. “I had to say goodbye to my parents, again. I had to watch my world crumble away, again. I had to give it up, even though a large part of me was willing to die just to remain one second longer in the arms of my family. As if I was again that little girl who watched her planet explode, obliterating everything she knew.” Her voice shook, breaking in places, but she didn’t stop talking, getting it all out. “I woke up, and immediately after I was called in battle where I lost someone I loved very much.”

“Kara,” Cat spoke in an emotional whisper, unable to stay quiet anymore. She had known she had wronged the young woman, and this was to be a small way of starting to correct her misdeeds, but to learn the true magnitude of her sins against Kara - it left her devastated. “Kara, I,” her voice breaking, she didn’t know what to say. That she hadn’t known? Of course, she hadn’t, she had been too self-absorbed to notice. That she was sorry? She was - immensely, but it didn’t erase the past. 

The stormy blue eyes found Cat’s face, grief and loss visible in them, so powerful and haunting that the Queen of all Media wondered how she had never seen it in Kara’s eyes before, and would she ever be able to look at those beautiful eyes without seeing it forever etched in her mind. But, as seconds passed under Kara’s pointed gaze, Cat saw the anguish lessen and disappear until all that was left was emotionless intellect looking back. “I didn’t tell you about this to make you feel bad, or to garner your apologies. I wanted you to know why I wasn’t there that day, and why the shapeshifter was sent to substitute me.”

“I’m sorry.” Wiping her tears that were about to fall, Cat sighed heavily. “I could see something was off, with that person’s bumbling around, but it never occured to me that you…” She swallowed hard.

“Ms. Grant,” Kara shifted her chair to the side, leaning forward and grasping Cat’s hand in comforting hold.

“Cat,” the CEO murmured the reminder as she returned the grasp.

“Ms. Grant, I never blamed you for what happened,” Kara said, ignoring the older woman’s correction. “Yes, you overreacted and things evolved in ways I believe neither you nor I bet on, where both of us were hurt some more, but I don’t regret any of it. It brought us here, Ms. Grant. Where I can be honest with you, and you can be the woman underneath the public persona with me.” Still holding onto Cat’s hand, Kara dipped her head and smiled encouragingly at her boss. “Even after all this, I still consider you my mentor and friend, Cat. As it happens, my cheerleader, as well.” 

It was that last comment, lighthearted and reassuring, that made Cat let a short and wet laugh. “Kara,” she sniffed.

“Now, wipe those tears off, because Eric is going to join us soon,” Kara warned lightly, having placed a cloth handkerchief in front of the other woman, her fast rummage through her purse lasting no more than half of a blink. and she released Cat’s hand after a reaffirming squeeze. 

“Ever the hero,” Cat muttered as she dipped the end of the offered cloth into her glass of water before bringing it under her eyes, wiping the smudges left by tears. “How does it look?” she asked, giving Kara a better angle to look.

“Perfect,” the alien said with conviction, just in time as she heard the two men coming up to them.

As they enjoyed the bits of gourmet cheeses with the assortment of crackers and artisan bread, surrounded by small dip bowls filled with chutneys, spicy mustards, and various types of candied nuts, the two women shared light anecdotes from their lives, needing a rest from the heavier topics, often making each other laugh. During the telling of their stories, they shifted and moved, bit by bit, until they weren’t sitting one across from another, separated by the whole length of the table but actually closer, within the easily traversed distance, as they would emphasize their own words with light pats over the other one’s forearm, or hand. Kara’s stories were sweet and often times coo-inspiring, while Cat told of her adventures in her trademark sass and sarcasm. 

“I didn’t know you went to college with the President,” Kara gasped in awe, still shaking with laughter.

“Ah, Kara, there are many things you don’t know about me,” Cat said gently, patting Kara’s wrist. “But, if you want, you can learn some of it,” she added, her voice dropping slightly as she hid half of her face behind the glass of water.

“I would like that,” the young woman replied demurely, her shy smile lighting up her face. 

“Good.” Cat declared, thumping her glass on the covered surface of the table as if she had just made a proclamation, before her wide smile changed into something more sedate but not less affectionate. “Now to the real reason why I brought you here,” she said, her fingers gently curling over Kara’s wrist, touching the slightly warmer that what’s normal for humans skin, smirking when she noticed that the steady beat under her middle finger quickened. 

“Oh?”

“It’s about your place at CatCo.”

Kara frowned at the oddly calm words Cat had spoken, straightening up slightly and feeling her muscles flex in nervous anticipation. “Are you firing me? Because of Supergirl?” she couldn’t quite keep the sharpness out of her low voice.

Cat rolled her eyes and firmed her grip. “Don’t be ridiculous.” Using her other hand to scoop a bit of tomato chutney on a cracker before tossing it lightly in her mouth, she waited for girl’s metaphorical heckles to lower. When she felt some of the tension leave Kara’s frame, she softly continued. “For the last two years, you have done nothing but arrange my travel perfectly and manage my schedule flawlessly. You succeeded with every task I placed before you, often going over and beyond your scope of work to make my life easier, no matter how it impossible seemed at the time, and with each reached goal you flourished. In short, you have become the best assistant I have ever had, and truly, you already were even before you started managing things with your abilities. And, that is why I have to give you up.” Before Kara could react to her words, she added in a what she hoped was a reassuring tone, “As an assistant, I mean. I am not letting you go from CatCo, or from me.” Swallowing a sip of water, she smiled at the woman listening to her attentively. “I am promoting you,” Cat stated pointedly after a moment, realizing that Kara’s frown wasn’t going away. 

Stunned, Kara gasped, her eyes wide, watching her boss, former boss?, and having no words. “Wha… What am I...,” she mumbled before she cleared her throat. “What do you want me to do?”

“Find me a new assistant, for starters, and train them up to acceptable levels,” Cat said, before she dipped her head and smirked. “I know there isn’t anyone like you out there, unfortunately.” Having used her cloth napkin to wipe her fingers, she pulled a lock of her hair away from her forehead before she returned her attention to Kara. “Then, I want you to take a few days for yourself, I want you to think about what you want, and then I’ll think about what you might have to offer, and then we’ll talk.” 

“Really?” Kara asked with surprise, the offer incredibly generous and out of the blue. “Anything I want?” For some reason, her voice dropped a bit, turning slightly suggestive at the end, making both Kara and Cat pink up. 

“Well, within reason regarding the job,” Cat replied at once. “For everything else, we’ll see.” 

Kara blinked before she felt her face tighten in a wide smile. Was Cat Grant flirting with her?

“There won’t be any change in your pay, at least not at the beginning, but this is a step up for you, Kara.” She nodded her head and came closer to the young woman. “This is your end of the ‘Working Girl’ moment.” Squeezing Kara’s wrist and gazing into that incredible blue eyes, she continued with conviction and pride in her voice, “And, if you take advantage of it, I really believe you can change the world, and not just as Supergirl, but as Kara Danvers, too.” 

“Cat,” Kara whispered, overcome. But, as she couldn’t really say anything coherent to the praise Cat just laid at her, she just blurted out, “The end of ‘Working Girl’ always makes me cry.”

The magnate let out a startled laugh before she smiled at the young woman beside her. “Me too.”


	7. Chapter 7

“What do you think I should do?” Kara asked as she brought the plate Eric had placed in front of her only seconds before closer, careful not to turn over the glass of sweet port wine the chef had paired with the rich flourless chocolate cake with, lifting a dessert fork.

“Hmm, come now, Kara,” Cat reprimanded as she took in the dark triangular cake covered with slices of strawberries atop of it. “Did you really think I would tell you?” she incredulously asked as she used her fork to cut a small piece before bringing it to her mouth. Closing her eyes in delight, she moaned at the decadently scrumptious taste of chocolate flowing over her tongue, wonderfully accompanied by sweet tartness of the strawberry slices. 

“Oh, Rao,” she heard the other woman cry in bliss, before she took another piece of the cake. “This is fantastic!” Kara mumbled with her mouth full, making Cat chuckle at the purely childlike amazement at the taste. When she saw the young woman stuff another bite in her mouth, the CEO knew that there would be no talking until Kara had finished with the dessert. Not that she minded. She didn’t really mind the enraptured sighs and hums coming from the girl either, the soft sounds inspiring all sorts of imagination in the editor. 

When the young hero scraped the last of the cake from her plate, Cat deftly switched them, giving Kara the remainings of her own dessert. “I can see you are enjoying it,” she added mirthfully when she saw the girl hesitate. “It’s a shame for it to go to waste, isn’t it?” she coaxed further, as she discreetly waved for their server to approach them. When Eric came up to them, without his busser shadow, she turned slightly to him. “Is there a chance of Kara getting another piece of the cake?” she asked, her voice void of affectionate gentleness and sincerity it had while the two women had been alone, instead becoming this polite and cultured pointed inquiry that held ever so subtle trace of threat in it. 

Eric glanced at the young woman finishing up her second piece and nodded. “Of course, Ms. Grant. I will bring it right out.” As he spoke, he picked up the empty plate in front of Cat.

“Cat,” the girl piped right after the waiter left. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said in a more measured tone, but the CEO could see Kara’s excitement at the order. 

“It’s just cake,” Cat said, dismissing it as she took a sip of Quinta De Noval port. “You should try it with wine, it really brings out the taste.” 

In that moment, Eric returned with a single plate, but Cat could see that this time, the piece was significantly larger than the ones he had brought out the first time. Just seeing that, she resolved to leave a hefty tip for the man, as he appeared to be quite intelligent and he was prompt. “Miss,” he said kindly as he switched the plates, giving the dirty one to a passing girl busser. “For the last course, we offer the guests to pick their drink of choice. We have a prime selection of tea, coffee, port, brandies and scotch. May I ask which would you like?”

Cat looked at Kara, gesturing for her to go first, because she already knew what she was going to order.

“Green tea, please,” Kara spoke up, looking at the server. “With jasmine, if you have it.” When he nodded at her in confirmation and acknowledgement, both he and Kara looked at Cat.

“The Macallan, two fingers,” Cat recited readily. 

Eric nodded and walked away, leaving them alone once more.

“So,” Kara hedged, as she prepared to dive into yet another portion of the dessert. But, Cat was onto her, and rolled her eyes at the woman.

“I won’t pick a job for you, Kara,” she stated firmly. “I am offering you the keys to the kingdom. And, the only way you would be able to use them properly is if you find yourself a vocation, a calling, you can see yourself doing in the years to follow. Your new job has to be something that you  **need** to do. I can't tell you what that is." 

“But, I have no idea what…” Kara fretted while cutting through the cake. “I don’t even know what I am good at.”

“Don’t worry about that. I have no doubt that you will learn whatever you need for the position you find yourself in, and that you will be amazing at what you will do.” Cat reached for Kara’s free hand and held it in comfort. “There is no rush. You don’t have to decide now. As I said, first, focus on your replacement.” 

“You just don’t want to miss out on your latte in the morning,” Kara grumbled teasingly before she drank her wine. 

“Of course,” Cat wholeheartedly agreed, making the other woman laugh. “But, Kara, really, you just have to dig deep, look inward and figure out what Kara Danvers needs to do with her life.” Still holding onto the young hero’s hand, she squeezed it lightly. “I believe in you,” she said with emotion, making Kara’s cheeks redden up in shy pleasure, the soft color remaining on the girl’s face even when Eric and his colleagues brought their last course.

“The last entry for the evening, Mignardise,” he said as put a platter filled with tiny madeleine biscuits between them, while another server brought over the drinks. “Petit madeleine dipped in finest belgian chocolate, sprinkled with just a pinch of vanilla sugar. As well as Jasmine green tea for you, Miss, and the Macallan Rare Cask for you, Ms. Grant. Enjoy.” 

“What are your plans for the weekend?” Cat queried, having taken a sip of the excellently picked whisky. It was incredibly smooth, with the presence of oak, rich and polished, while the soft traces of vanilla and chocolate gave it amazing finish to accompany their biscuits.  

“I don’t know,” Kara pondered, nibbling on the small cakes in front of her. “I usually hang out with Alex, binge some TV shows or just spend time together. Or, it’s like a group thing, when James and Winn join us…” She brought her left palm to the warm glass of her tea cup, soaking the comforting heat. “But, she is away and I am not in the mood for the boys trying to cheer me up.” With an afterthought, she murmured, “Maybe I’ll just spend some time with Lucy, getting to know her properly,” her words making Cat raise her eyebrow at the young woman.

“Do you need cheering up?”

Kara shook her head once, pursing her lips lightly at the question. “It’s just,” she said as she fiddled with the honey container, trying to open it gently. “Ever since I came to National City and Alex finished Stanford, we’ve never been apart for more than three or four days at the most, and we’d call each other constantly.”

“But, it’s been longer?” Cat asked gently.

“Ten days, tonight,” Kara spoke softly, finally opening the honey without spilling it all over herself. Pouring it into the cup, she stirred her tea before taking a sip of it, caring not a bit that it was perhaps still too hot for a human to drink. “And, because of the secrecy of her mission, there has been no contact.”

“She is not the FBI,” Cat said in a whisper, her eyes watching Kara shrewdly. “She is one of the men in black that sometimes help you.” The only answer she got was the soft hum as Kara took another of the biscuits. “Is her mission dangerous?”

“Very.”

“These past few months have been quite hard on you, haven’t they?” Cat reckoned kindly, getting Kara to let out a short, mirthless chuckle. “Well, if you do need cheering up, you can drop by Sunday afternoon,” she offered as she sipped her whisky. “Carter will most definitely like to see you, and I think it is impossible to remain sad in his presence.”

“Cat, I can’t,” the girl immediately sputtered. “It’s your time with him, I could never,” she started.

“I am inviting you,” Cat insisted, interjecting. “And, honestly, you’d be doing me a favour,” the woman added. “He’ll be teeming with energy. Maybe getting the two of you to tire each other out would spare me some headache in the evening.” 

Kara knew that Cat wasn’t serious, for she lived for Carter and being with him was the best spent time for the woman, regardless of what the two would be doing. As invitations went, she had to consider the fact that Cat was the one inviting her in her private home, to be around her and her son in their private time, while the CEO was notoriously famous for protecting her time with Carter with the countenance of mama bear.  

“You wouldn’t mind,” Kara had to confirm.

“I invited you,” Cat repeated pointedly.

“If nothing comes up, I’ll be there,” Kara nodded, smiling softly at the arrangement. 

“You mentioned Lucy,” Cat brought up after a while. “Is she still here? I would have thought she would’ve been in Metropolis or D.C. by now, running away from her erstwhile photojournalist.”

Shaking her head at the bite in Cat’s tone, Kara swallowed the biscuit she had in her mouth. “She is back with the military. For the moment, she is stationed nearby.” If nearby meant seventy miles by air into the desert. Most likely their time together would be spent on DEO business, but that didn’t mean Kara didn’t hold out hope that the two could become friends. Real friends, this time, without James and the Supergirl secrecy between them.

“The whole James rivalry doesn’t bother you?”

“No,” the young girl said as she picked the last biscuit up. “We’ve sorted it all out recently, so it’s fine.” And, after getting Lucy to help her with Alex and J’onn, after telling her the truth about Supergirl and what it meant to be an alien on Earth, the two of them were on much better terms. It helped that the interim director relied on her to help her with the DEO. “We’re fine.”

Not quite sure that she believed Kara, Cat nodded and seeing that all the food was gone, and their drinks were at the end, the Queen of all Media raised her hand, catching Eric’s attention and then gestured for the check. While she waited for the server, she drank the last of her whisky, her action prompting Kara to finish with her tea, as well. “Did you enjoy it?” Cat asked. “The dinner.”

“Oh, Cat, yes. I loved it.” Fixing her glasses back in place, Kara hunched slightly. “But, you didn’t have to do this, really.”

“I wanted to.”

Eric walked by, placing down the leather bound booklet containing the check and the credit card slip with a pen, breaking the look between the two women, before he took away the dirty dishes and went away. Cat picked the pen up and opened the booklet, but when she brought the pen to the signature line, she hesitated. “This is it,” she spoke heavily, drawing Kara’s attention. When the young woman tilted her head in confusion, waiting for her to explain, Cat sighed and leaned back, keeping the pen in her hand. “The second I sign this,” she said, gesturing toward the slip with her hand. “The dinner is over. And, your promise to me is fulfilled.”

It took Kara only a few seconds to remember what promise was Cat talking about, and seeing her companion’s sudden turn of mood, she realized that the older woman didn’t want their conversation, meeting?, to end. She didn’t want for Kara to go away, even though, with the dinner being done, she was free to leave if she wanted. Only, Kara didn’t. She didn’t want to go to her empty home, nor did she want to end this evening with Ms. Grant, who had never been so open with her before.

“So,” Cat said. “I give you two choices. Option number one: we part ways, and I see you on Sunday, or on Monday if you can’t come.” The pinched look in Cat’s eyes gave Kara the impression that the woman didn’t like this option. 

“And, the option number two?” Kara prompted.

“Option two is to join me for the rest of the evening,” Cat said, looking at Kara intently.

Kara offered the other woman a soft smile. “I am not leaving.”


	8. Chapter 8

Hearing Kara’s meaningful proclamation brought out a light, affectionate smile to Cat’s lips, and encouraged by those words, she signed her name with a flourish, her usual squigle more legible than usual. Just as she closed the booklet, their server for the night appeared at her side, picking it up. 

“Was everything to your liking, Miss, Ms. Grant?”

“It was excellent,” Cat replied for the both of them. “Our compliments to the chef.”

“He will be happy to hear you’ve enjoyed his work,” Eric said with a slight bow, as he gently pulled Kara’s chair away, helping her get up, before he turned to do the same to Cat, but he found the CEO up on her feet, rummaging through her purse. 

“Eric,” she called him over to her before she gave him a crisp note. “For the exceptional service.”

He nodded in gratitude and looked down, his eyes widening at the number on the bill. As he turned to get the note back to the woman, he saw that she was already several steps away. “No one can say no to Cat Grant,” the young woman said with a kind smile. “And, it is rare she likes someone in the service industry, so take it, and know that you’ve impressed her,” Kara added before she lengthened her gait to catch up to her dinner companion. 

She was about to reach Cat when the woman in front of her was stopped by the  Maître D’. “ Ms. Grant, I hope you and your date had a good time with us this evening?”

Hearing the words coming out of the man’s mouth, Kara hurried to correct him, lifting her hand into the air to interrupt, but then Cat’s hand wound around her biceps, squeezing it lightly. “The dinner  was superb and Eric was notable with the excellence of his service,” Cat replied with a polite smile before wishing the staff a good night and pulling Kara outside, tugging on Kara’s upper arm to hurry up and leave. “I dismissed the driver,” Cat spoke to Kara as she wound her hand around the young woman’s arm, enjoying the hero’s warmth in the tempered coolness of the evening. “If you don’t mind, I thought we could go for a walk.” 

It was still early, Kara noted as she simply nodded to the woman on her left, and as it was a Friday evening, there were a lot of people still around. But the walk sounded good. And, since she was who she was, it was a lot safer for them to be on the streets, than anyone else. Following Cat’s subtle lead, she shortened her stride to match the other woman’s and they went off, while the hero kept an ear out, ever watchful for the dangers. 

“Can you tell me a bit more about your former home?” Cat asked after they left the street the restaurant was on, keeping her voice quiet, but also light, letting Kara know that she didn’t have to.

“Only if I can ask questions, too,” Kara replied with unexpected boldness, needing this to be an exchange rather than an interview. Cat might not publish what she found out, but without the reciprocal stories, Kara felt that the woman would retreat into the familiar role of the interviewer. 

“Of course,” the CEO replied, squeezing the taller woman’s arm in response. “It’s only fair.” Kara exhaled in relief the breath she had been holding in. "Superman already told us the specifics, the scientific facts, some of the history. But, I want to know how it was for you." 

Breathing deeply and placing her right palm over Cat's, she spoke. "Kal-El doesn't remember it. I do. It was my home for thirteen years." Her quiet voice was steady, but Cat could hear the remnants of a deep pain within the measured tone. "It wasn't perfect. Far from it. But, I loved it." And, then she slowly spoke of Kryptonian cities on the continent of Lurvan, the looming spires of Argo, the high and strong ramparts of Kandor, the botanical gardens of Kryptonopolis, the beautiful and awe inspiring Fire Falls and the crystal caps of the Jewel Mountains. She spoke of the red skies and the dark purple oceans. She spoke of the caste system, explaining the six guilds to Cat and the choosing processes for one of them. 

Listening to the amazing stories of Kara's world, Cat asked only a few questions, only when she needed a clarification or two, not interrupting the young woman by her side otherwise as they strolled through the downtown of National City.

When Kara got lost in the memories of her home or they turned too dark, causing the girl to brood, Cat gently coaxed the young woman back by telling her of her own past, speaking of her childhood and the first conflicts with her mother. 

“Can you tell me about your parents?” Cat asked carefully, knowing it would be a hard topic for Kara. “You don't have to,” she added quickly, feeling the girl tense up under her palms. 

“No, I,” Kara murmured before she forced herself to relax. “As you already know, I was born into the Honorable House of El to Zor-El, younger brother of Jor-El, the head of the family and the greatest scientific mind Krypton even knew. Like his brother, my father was a scientist, perhaps not as revered as my uncle but quite respected. He would often take me with him whenever he would go on off-world expeditions, showing me other cultures and many wonders of our galaxy.” She smiled as she remembered her father taking her to Segara Beyal when she was eleven. “I was expected to follow in his footsteps and test for the Science Guild, but I have no doubt he wouldn’t have minded me being in the Artisan Guild, either,” she added, her father’s kind smile fresh in her mind due to the effects of the Black Mercy. “Alura In-Ze was one of the rising stars of the Lawmakers Guild, much like her sister, Astra, in the Military Guild. Later, after her union with my father, she became a chief judicator at the citadel. Something like a judge in a criminal court. Due to her service and achievements, she was awarded a spot in our High Council, like a government. But, my mom was loving, kind, encouraging. Even though she was busy with her duties, she was always there when I needed her.” Learning about her betrayals and faults had been devastating for Kara, who had, during the years of her hardships on Earth, idealised the woman. When all the things with Astra had come to the light, she’d felt like her mother had been taken away from her again. And, watching her dear aunt, the woman who shared a face with her mother, die in her arms, had brought that pain to unimaginable levels. 

“Hey,” Kara heard as soft fingers touched her face, sliding carefully under the frames of her glasses. Blinking hard to chase away the past, she looked down to the woman beside her, seeing the worried countenance of her companion. “You’re crying,” Cat whispered gently, her fingers wiping away the tears sliding down Kara’s cheek.

“I’m fine,” Kara blurted, shifting her head away from Cat’s touch, as her hand took away the traces of tears. But, Cat couldn’t be deterred as she guided two of them to a close by park and pulled Kara down on the closest bench. 

“You don’t have to be fine, Kara,” the older woman said firmly while she held the stiffly sitting hero close to her. “Just from what you’ve told me today,” Cat sighed, having no words for all the devastating things the girl had survived. “I don’t know how you are not curled in the fetal position and bawling your eyes out the whole time.”

“I was. When I first came here.”

“And, you overcame it, like the astounding girl you are,” Cat said, catching Kara’s left hand with her own and holding it tight. “You’ve told me about that Mercy thing. As far as I know, you never had enough time to just get to grips with, pushing forward because of the insanity that National City has become.” She looked up to Kara’s face, focusing on the still cloudy eyes behind the glasses. “It’s OK.”  

The young woman allowed her body to release the tension, slumping and leaning onto the back of the bench, her head hanging low. “There aren’t many people I can talk about home to,” she spoke slowly. “At first, it was too painful and Alex and Eliza have stopped asking. But, with others, I can’t talk because that would mean exposing my secret.”

“Well, you can always talk to me,” Cat replied, nudging her companion with her shoulder. “I’d like to hear more, honestly.” Then, with a sly smile, she leaned in closer to Kara. “Whatever you want to share,” she added with a suggestive lilt in her voice. 

Kara blinked at the tone, surprised to find the idea of Cat flirting gently with her quite enticing. She thought back to the evening and realized that the woman had been unusually kind and affectionate with her. Not that Cat Grant hadn’t been affectionate with Kara in the past year, but along with Cat’s ordinary fondness of her, the woman had been slightly more coquettish and openly tactile, her words sometimes taking on a more sultry tone. And, the way Cat stopped her from correcting the man at the restaurant. 

“I have a question,” Kara blurted after a long moment of silence, startling the other woman with the abruptness of her statement. 

“Go for it,” Cat replied, still holding on to Kara’s arm.

“Is this a date?” 

The CEO froze for a moment, before she asked Kara a question in turn. “Would you mind if it was?”

Kara looked at the woman beside her, noticing the clenched jaw and the pinched brows. Squeezing the hand holding her own and keeping their eyes connected, she sighed. “I-I don’t know.” Dating Cat Grant. Honestly, it had never crossed her mind, even when her sister would tease her about her crush at the media powerhouse. But, on the other hand, she couldn’t say an unequivocal no to that question, either. She had always noticed how beautiful Cat had been, day in and day out during her tenure at CatCo, sometimes even missing the whole conversations with the people around her as she had been too entranced by the older woman’s presence. And, whenever the Queen of all Media would flirt with Supergirl, Kara flustered with anticipation, barely stopping herself from coming closer to the other blonde, only the fact that she feared Cat would recognize her at close distances kept her two or three steps away. Also, there was the episode with the Red Kryptonite, where she had attacked her boss, when the only other personal casualty of that event had been her sister, both women bringing up strong and complicated emotions in her. She knew Cat, perhaps in ways no one else did and she still liked her, very much at that. And, after this evening, she trusted her - way more than she trusted James. “I don’t think I would,” she answered finally, her lips curving into a barely there smile.  

Cat lost her falsely unbothered veneer and her lips stretched into a wide smirk, making her eyes glimmer under the streetlights. “Well, then, that merits an ice cream, don’t you think?” Cat replied, relief and elation visible in her posture as she tugged Kara closer. “Come on, let’s walk to the penthouse, it’s not far.” 

Lightly chuckling at the enthusiastic pull, Kara allowed herself to be moved, following the woman up and on toward the path that cut through the park, leading close to Cat’s building, laughing aloud when the woman asked her if she even liked ice cream. The innocuous question spawned a long dissertation on the desserts of the galaxy, making Cat snort in amusement when the young hero explained the variations of sweets from each of the planets she had visited, her face lit up and voice lilting through the elaboration. 

“So,” Cat bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at the rambunctious girl holding her hand. “It is safe to say you like it, then?”

“Cat,” the hero pouted as she realized what Cat was doing. “You’re teasing me.”

“Just a little,” the older woman replied with a playful grin, before she gestured toward the building they found themselves in front of. “This is me,” she stated and then glanced back at the woman beside her. “But, I believe you already know that,” she added coyly, referencing both Kara’s wealth of knowledge about Cat as her assistant and the superhero’s awareness of where the imposing woman was. 

Kara only smiled, not answering the subtle trap in Cat’s words and followed the woman to the entrance guarded by the beefed up doorman. 

“Do you still want to come up? You don’t have to.” It was odd to see the ordinarily forceful and uncompromising powerhouse of the business woman hesitant and unsure of herself, fidgeting with her hands as she had released Kara’s arm the second she had spoken. 

“You promised me ice cream,” Kara responded, offering the woman her arm.


	9. Chapter 9

Having turned the key in the door of the penthouse apartment, Cat pushed the door wide open, gesturing Kara to come in. “Feel free to look around,” she offered, typing in the alarm code as she closed the door behind them, the automatic lock engaging and a short beep of accepted password easily heard by the superpowered alien. 

Taking the invitation, Kara walked into the first floor of what appeared to be a duplex, coming down the three steps that separated the entrance from the rest of the room, the open floor plan tastefully transformed into functional units by furniture and shelves which contained so much of Cat’s life on them - knick knacks picked up from travelling, photos of Carter and her almost on every shelf, various awards and plaques arranged among the many books. Kara came closer to inspect the Peabody award Cat had gotten several months earlier, her sensitive ears picking up on soft footfalls of shoeless feet and quiet rummaging in what she supposed was the kitchen, not willing to use her vision to confirm. 

When she heard the steps coming closer to her, Kara turned around just in time for a tub of chocolate gelato to be thrust her way, a spoon stuck into the creamy deliciousness. “As promised,” she heard when she accepted the tub. She looked at the other woman and saw Cat sit down on the closest couch and fold her legs underneath her, a small white bowl in her hand with only a scoop of gelato inside. “You didn’t have to give me the whole thing,” Kara spoke as she crossed the room and sat on the same couch Cat had, carefully lowering herself onto it. 

Cat only chuckled, using her spoon to scrape a bit of the dark substance and put it into her mouth, rolling her eyes at the hero. 

“It’s a beautiful place,” Kara said as she started eating the melting gelato. 

“I remodeled it some time ago,” Cat replied, placing the empty bowl on the table. “I’ll give you a proper tour, later.” Leaning on the back of the sofa and placing her elbow on top of it, she turned toward the young woman, her hand bracing her head, whole her other hand rested in her lap. Her eyes roamed over the hero in front of her, taking in every big and small detail about her as she bided her time to speak. To initiate a talk she knew she had to have with Kara, to avoid misunderstandings and wrong implications, because this young woman beside her was too important to her to lose her due a clumsily handled relationship. “Kara, I-” she started, but the girl turned away, her eyes following a small bird fluttering in front of the window closest to them. Cat turned to look at the bird, recognizing it as a common sparrow, before she gazed back at the hero. 

Kara blew into the tub, freezing what was left of the ice cream, sure that the temperature would hold for several hours, before she left it on the table, beside Cat’s bowl and rose to her feet, her eyes not moving from the small bird, even when the sparrow flitted away into the night. “We didn’t have birds on Krypton,” she said absently, her powerful eyes still tracing the winged creature.

Cat closed her eyes for a moment and smiled ruefully to herself, before she focused back on the alien. It seemed like Kara needed to talk, the dam that had kept her past locked away broken by the newly formed trust between them. They could talk about the relationship later, the older woman decided as she watched the girl standing by the window, her hand resting lightly against the window frame. And, as she watched the hero, she realized, Kara had told her about her home, about her parents, some details of her family and friends, but she hadn’t spoken of her journey, of her home’s destruction except in barest of ways. And, it had been on her mind that evening, for sure, not in small part due to the recounting of the experience with the parasite and the stories of home. “Tell me, Kara,” she spoke softly, but made sure to let it sound like an order, hoping it would break through the time-conditioned reticence. 

Kara’s hand dropped away from the window and the young woman turned slightly, glancing back at her host. “You know the basics: Krypton exploded, we travelled across galaxies and came here, the yellow Sun.” Turning back to the window, Kara looked outside at the lights of National City, and farther, the stars. “But, to really understand - the story must begin earlier than that. You see, Krypton was on the verge of ecological disaster. The birds had disappeared from the skies long before I was born. The oceans grew empty. The weather was too unstable and vicious, making it too dangerous to be outside the protective barrier-like shields that surrounded the cities. 

Then, my uncle Jor-El found out that the planet's core was growing more and more unstable with each passing rotation, strained by the ruthless excavation of resources and that it was close to a detonation. Terrified by his discovery, he brought his findings to the Science Council, the highest authority of the Guild and part of the government system. Hearing him talk about it, they thought him insane. They suppressed all knowledge, destroying his research, stripped him of his status as Molium and took his posting away, branding him a mad man.

However, my aunt Astra, as a Military General, had her own sources in the Council, and when she realized what had happened to Jor-El and why, she was determined to do something about it, for the sake of future generations. After several months of trying through the regular channels, Astra started using her military expertise, striking against her opponents. Soon after, she and her co-conspirator and husband, Non, were condemned as terrorists for inciting panic and killing people. My mother, knowing about the close bond between Astra and me, recognized that her sister would never leave me without a way of contacting her. She used me to lure Astra out of hiding and capture her, sentencing her to banishment to Fort Rozz, the prison Kryptonians had built in the Phantom Zone, a region of space where time does not pass. 

During that time, my father was in a secret laboratory Jor-El had taken over, deeming Kryptonopolis too dangerous for his plans, and the two of them were building ships for the eventual evacuation. The two of them had to work in secret, by themselves because if someone found out and told on them, they would have been sentenced to Fort Rozz as well, making their progress slow and hard. The plan had been to create several thousands of those and offer them to the people when the signs of disaster were undeniable, skipping the Science Council and High Council entirely. However, the rapid destabilization of the core took them by surprise and only two small pods were ready for a long distance travel. Sharing his discovery of Earth with his brother, Jor-El took his ten month old son out of his wife’s hands and placed him into one of the pods, setting the coordinates and activating the artificial programing to take care of his child during the journey, he sent the pod off. As my father interlocked the coordinates, my mother explained that I was to take care of Kal-El, teach him of home, of his and my family, and soon after, my pod was sent to follow.”

After dealing with the Coluan, Indigo, Kara had returned to the Fortress and read through the archives, learning so much about that time, things she hadn’t been aware of, and although the records had been from Jor-El’s point, there had been enough things about her father and the rest of her family. 

“Things didn’t go exactly according to the plan. Krypton’s destruction sent a shock wave that knocked my pod off course and into the Phantom Zone. Due to the artificial programing on my pod, I was interred into a suspended state to conserve resources. I slept there for what I later realized was twenty four years. Recently, I learned that one of the prisoners of Fort Rozz, the hacker that menaced the city weeks ago, had done something to the pod, guiding it out of the Zone and letting it resume course to Earth. But, this time, instead of the pod travelling alone through the sectors of space, it pulled the prison along with it. I woke up when the pod was opened, finding myself in a desert with a man bearing my family’s crest standing over me and speaking unfamiliar words. Only when he managed to ask me if I am Kryptonian in a broken language and ear-bleeding accent, I noticed the familiar eyes on the man’s face. He had my aunt Lara’s eyes, and I knew that the baby I was sent to protect was standing before me as a man.” Kara turned back to the woman listening intently on the sofa and pursed her lips with sadness, but still not moving away from the window. “I was lost. My whole world was gone, this new one was too strange for me and the only purpose I had been given had been taken away from me. And, Kal couldn’t deal with me, being needed as a superhero the whole time, so he brought me to his friend, a scientist who, along with his wife, had helped him deal with his abilities. The scientist who had a teenaged daughter of his own and would be much better equipped to deal with the refugee orphan than him.” Even though many years had passed and she had mostly gotten over being abandoned, adoring the Danvers family, she still couldn’t speak of that without an edge of bitterness in her voice.

Cat blinked away the tears gathering in her eyes and softly clearing her throat, she spoke clearly, “The Danvers’.”

Kara inclined her head in confirmation. “Jeremiah Danvers was incredibly kind and amazingly patient man who made the world make sense to me again. He taught me how to listen without constantly losing focus and hearing everything in the five mile radius. He helped me regulate my strength so I wouldn’t break floors with walking or snapping bones with a handshake. He made a special kind of glasses for me, to stop me from looking through people or seeing just their bones. He and Eliza taught me English, and the first book they read to me was Harry Potter, thinking I would identify with him strongly. They, along with Alex, spent months teaching me about this new world.”

“How long did it take you to learn English?” Cat asked quietly, keeping her arm tightly wound around herself, lest she jumped from the sofa and hugged the dear girl senseless. 

“I was fluent and grammatically correct in three weeks, but learning idioms and phrases took me years,” Kara answered. “Kal visited, and one time he brought a friend along, and after the friend heard me discuss complicated mechanical details with Jeremiah while he was fixing his car, the man asked me to help him with a small issue of figuring out the problem in the machine he was building. After I did, the man said he would patent the solution in my name and let it collect the royalties in a special fund he would set up for me.” It had been quite odd for her to get so much money for something that was a children’s game puzzle on Krypton, but Mr. Wayne had insisted, saying it would help her with the living costs and provide her with a security later in life. He had been right, as she had used a portion of the money to buy the loft she now called home, deeming renting too intrusive for her lifestyle. “They told me about the importance of remaining hidden, that the people weren't ready for another god in their midst. I had to pretend that my parents died in a fire, and that I simply moved away from my friends and familiar places. They even though it would be better if I took an ordinary name, and one of the suggestions was Linda. But, I refused. I've lost my family, my home, my House, I wasn't going to surrender the last thing belonging to me. I wasn't going to sacrifice my own name to this new world.”

That explained why Kara had been so angry with her mispronouncing her name, Cat noted, remembering the sour expressions on the girl’s face each time she would call her by the wrong name. At the time she had enjoyed the power play, waiting for the girl to finally snap, but with Winn’s intervention, the young assistant had learned to let it go. 

“But, I messed up. One night, I took Alex flying and the wrong people found out. Jeremiah made a deal to work for them, and in turn I would remain with the Danvers’. Two weeks later, he was pronounced killed in action in the jungles of Peru.” Kara sighed, and walked back to the sofa, using a slight levitation to ease herself down, making the other woman blink at the sight. “Alex resented me for it, even though she rarely outwardly showed it. We needed a couple years and a death of our friend to truly become sisters. She wanted to follow in her parents' footsteps, becoming a bio-engineer, and because I took so much from her already, I chose not to go into the sciences, even though I had a natural aptitude for it. So, hiding away from the world, I did my best to be normal. Until the flight 237 for Geneva.”


	10. Chapter 10

“Who was on the plane?” the Queen of all Media asked the question she had wanted to ask since the day of the incident. It had to be someone important for Kara to risk breaking her cover, someone like family.

“My sister.” Kara smiled when she saw Cat nod at the expected answer, pleased to see that the woman could guess right about her actions, showing that Cat knew her, at least a bit. “Because I came out so publically, the men in black as you call them came after me. Then, I realized Alex was working for them, to protect me and due to her being close to the boss, I was able to get them on my side, helping me whenever I need it. However, that wasn’t all that came after me. The prisoners of Fort Rozz have ended up on Earth too, and seeing my family’s crest on my chest, they knew I was one of the last relatives of Alura Zor-El, the woman who had sentenced most of them to that prison.” Kara leaned slowly against the back of the sofa, stopping instantly when she heard the wooden frame creak under her, glancing sheepishly over at Cat. “Only two people there knew the truth of who I really was,” she continued and Cat could see where it was going. “Seeing the face of the woman I haven’t seen in what seemed like thirteen for me, but actually was thirty seven years, when I had believed that she had been gone with the rest of Krypton, I was…” She didn’t know how to explain the wealth of emotions she had felt that day. Her fear for Alex, finding her sister injured and bleeding beneath the Kryptonian who if she had wanted, could break her neck in a blink of an eye with little effort. Her elation and surprise, her doubt, realization… She had needed hours afterwards to just calm her thoughts. 

Cat reached over and grabbed Kara’s hand in comfort, her nimble fingers squeezing the yielding palm of the hero.

“Twins were rare on Krypton,” Kara whispered, unconsciously mirroring the words Astra had told Alex the first time they fought against each other. “As children, my mother and her sister took a great pleasure in confusing their parents and others around them. Even as adults, when they were shaped by their different experiences, people would confuse them for each other. But, I knew. I always knew. And, even though I saw my mother’s face staring back at me, and even though my heart wanted to jump out of my chest in happiness at seeing her again, I knew it wasn’t her. Not that I didn’t love my aunt very much and mourned her loss as well…” Swallowing hard, Kara forced herself to continue. “Astra had seen the signs of destruction and she wanted to save this planet, when she couldn’t save Krypton and she asked for my help, as I could use my influence with the people and Kal-El to enforce the new regime that would save Earth. I refused. I knew her heart was in the right place, but I couldn’t condone her methods.”  

Then, Cat realized something. “The woman hovering above the CatCo Plaza, the one with the white streak in her hair, that’s your aunt?”

“It was a diversion, a way to get me to lower my guard. I thought I had defeated her, capturing her for the men in black, who had holding cells for the aliens, but it was what she had planned. To get her inside and be too preoccupied with her while her husband and others finish what they needed. While in her cell, she told me about my mother’s machinations, and even though I didn’t want to believe it, I knew she was telling the truth. Astra had always told me the truth, especially when no one else wanted to. She had been the one to tell me about Krypton dying, when the rest of my family had sought to protect me from the frightening knowledge of impending doom.”

Cat squeezed her palm, bringing herself closer to the hero. Even in the midst of a huge family drama, the young woman had saved her company. At the selfless actions, Cat felt her heart grow with deep affection for the girl next to her.

“She also wanted to help me see that the humans were not worth saving. She knew it the US military ever got its fingers on her, she would be tortured by the only thing that can hurt our kind. It is like acute radiation poisoning and acid in our veins at the same time, and she was submitted to it because humans are guided by their fears and anger. And, I had to watch, powerless, because it was making me weak by just being close to it. If I hadn’t been weakened, I don’t know what I would’ve done, I was so upset, I couldn’t think, I didn’t want to; I just wanted to hurt those responsible for the pain.”

Cat knew how ruthless humans could be when faced with something or someone different. And, she had read many exposes Lois Lane had on the military, panning the brass for authorizing, no matter how covertly, horrible methods for winning at any cost. Even Clark Kent, the mild mannered and less slanting reported had a dim view of the US Army’s research and intelligence  departments.

“In order to save one of our own, captured by Non and others, we traded Astra, at the Army General’s great displeasure, as it was the only solution that avoided bloodshed.” Kara leaned forward and took off her glasses, placing them gently onto the table, the importance of such gesture well evident to Cat, and as she leaned her elbows on her knees, Kara brought her hands to her face. “The next time I saw her,  just right after I was released from Black Mercy, learning that it was Non who had been responsible for it and that she had helped save me, she died in my arms, bleeding out on a roof.”

“Was Non also the one responsible for the altered brain thing?” Cat asked softly after she had spent several minutes quietly rubbing Kara’s back.

“No,” Kara said through her hands, wiping her tears away before she looked at the woman beside her. “That was Maxwell Lord. After Bizarro failed, he tried to manufacture the thing that can kill me, however, he got it wrong. He placed the isotop on several rooftops in the city, for precaution he said. When I saved the firemen that day, I was infected, and because he made a mistake, it worked differently, like a virus, over time, rather than immediately and affecting my emotions and decisions instead of my body.”

“He was behind Bizarro,” Cat repeated slowly, as she came to grips with the information. So, it was his fault she had almost died that day, she mused as she thought of the arrogant and scientifically inclined business magnate, her hand never stopped moving over the young woman’s back, her comforting rub turning into gentler caress in time

Kara hummed in confirmation, sinking lightly toward the woman next to her, before she added, “He also helped my sister and my friend develop the antidote for it. My friend had to subdue me for it to work and exposed his true nature in the process, and even though my sister begged him to get away, to save himself, he peacefully surrendered. The Department of Defense sent someone to investigate the breech, as they called it, and decided to ship my friend to a research facility that used aliens to experiment on them, sending Alex as well because she defended him against the interrogators. When I heard what Project Cadmus actually was, I had to rescue them. Luckily, I also had friends in high places and we managed to liberate the two of them from the convoy taking them to the lab. Since then, they are on the run and also acting on some obscure information that Jeremiah might be alive.”

“A lot has happened to you,” Cat whispered softly as she placed her free hand on Kara’s closer forearm. 

“It’s dangerous for people to know my name, Cat. The secrecy is not just to protect myself from danger but to prevent my enemies going after those I care about.” 

“Kara Zor-El,” Cat said pointedly, enjoying the flash of something in Kara’s eyes at the sound of her name, glad that the girl had finally provided her with an opening into the topic she needed to discuss with her. “Supergirl is already linked with CatCo and me. And, I already have my own share of enemies, as Leslie and Siobhan would prove.” Patting Kara’s forearm, she offered, “It is kind and a bit patronizing to think that this relationship should be in trouble because of who you are. I have been married four, almost five, times, and I am well known for my abrasiveness and hardheadedness, as you well know.” She leaned further into the solid body by her side. “But, I think you misunderstood my intentions earlier,” she spoke carefully, using her hands to stop Kara from moving, realizing how ridiculous such move was against the superhero, but gratified by the fact that Kara did stop moving away. “Although I know Supergirl is a huge part of who you are, I have no intention of dating her.”

“But, you-”

“You are not listening, Kara,” Cat spoke a bit sharper. “I want to date Kara Danvers, not Supergirl,” she pointedly added. 

“I thought it was the…”

“Although, the idea of being seen as Supergirl’s paramour does have certain merits, I am not an idiot,” she spoke over Kara’s floundering words. “I have seen the escapades Lois has been subjected to just because she’s Superman’s girlfriend, while married to another at that!” When Cat looked at Kara’s face and saw the sheepish frown on her face, she was hit by a realization, it short circuiting her brain for a moment, where she gaped, unable to say a word. But, she wouldn’t be Cat Grant if she hadn’t been able to recover quickly. “Clark Kent. Well, that makes so much sense now.” Ignoring that for now, how ever hard that might have been, she returned to the topic at hand. “I have children and I am quite aware of how dangerous association with your heroic self is. However, despite the risks, I am not willing to walk away from this possibility without at least trying it out.” She offered a lovely smile at the woman next to her. “And, I liked Kara long before I knew she was Supergirl.”

“What changed?” Kara questioned, turning gently toward Cat, careful not to dislodge the woman’s hands on her. 

“My eldest got in touch with me. I almost died. Several times.” The older woman fiddled with the collar of Kara’s shirt, pulling the lapel slightly upwards. “You’ve proven to me that you were a young woman who knew her values and worth. And, during these things I thought about regrets and opportunities.” She thought back to the torturous nights she had spent thinking about this. “Also, you stopped mooning over James so much,” she added, to Kara’s embarrassment. “So, I took my chance, hoping for the best.” And, seeing Kara’s soft smile directed at her, she felt elated and rewarded for her daring. Bringing her hand to Kara’s cheek, delighted to feel the girl nuzzle it with affection, she looked into the deep blue eyes, seeing them without the obstruction of the glass lenses and poor lightning for the first time. “I am leaving the reins in your hands, Kara. I won’t force you to anything nor will I sway your decision regarding this. You’ll have to lead in this.” Seeing Kara’s understanding nod, as well as feeling it against her hand, she traced her fingers against the incredibly soft skin of the alien’s face. “And, in the meantime, I will do my best to make it as ethical as possible. I have seen too many sleazy men and several women use their positions and inherent power to get into their subordinate’s unmentionables. If I am going to do this, I am going to do it right.”

Kara brought her own hand to Cat’s, holding it gently as she moved it away from her face, slightly unnerved by the things she was feeling because of that soft touch on her cheek. “Is that why you promoted me?”

“I promoted you because you deserve it. The timing might be a bit sudden, but this is something I have thought about for a long time.” Only, Cat would not tell just how long she had been thinking about it until Kara made her decision regarding her job. “It did create a little bit of room for our personal relationship, but one has nothing to do with the other.” When Kara looked at her with that cute, little frown, she brought her other hand over the one holding hers, and peered into Kara’s eyes intently. “Never fear for your job, Kara; it is not in danger nor it will be affected by your choice, whatever you decide regarding us.”

“Thank you,” Kara whispered, her words heartfelt. She rose, gently guiding Cat to her feet as well. “It’s late,” she whispered as she turned toward the door, picking up her glasses from the table. “And, apparently, I have a lot to think about.”

Cat walked the younger woman to her entrance, still holding Kara’s hand. “You don’t have to rush,” she said, her tone soft as well. 

“I had a good time. Sorry, it turned a bit…” Kara spoke, floundering at the end as she motioned toward the window she had been standing in front of earlier in the evening.

“Shush,” the older woman said with a smile. “It was perfect.” Unlocking the door, she didn’t yet pull it open, as Kara seemed reluctant to leave. 

“So, Sunday,” the hero timidly asked as she played with her glasses in her hand.

“Sunday,” Cat confirmed, her smile widening at the nervous woman in front of her. As she opened the door, Kara stepped through and turned around, coming closer. Suddenly, Cat felt soft lips press against her cheek, right by the corner of her mouth. Surprised by Kara’s action, she smiled again, watching the girl put on her glasses and turn to leave. 

“Good night,” Kara mumbled as she hurried to the elevator, blushing when she heard Cat’s louder than normal, “Sweet dreams, Kara,” just as she was walking into the cabin. Quickly turning to catch a last glimpse of the woman before the door closed, she offered a dorky wave, smiling at the soft smile directed her way.


	11. Chapter 11

The first thing she did when she got up that morning, after eating and checking in with Lucy and DEO, was to call HR office at CatCo, asking them to send her the applicants for the assistant’s job, determined to find her replacement as soon as possible. While she waited for the email, she did a short round around the city, before picking up some groceries along the way, dressed as Kara, of course. Then, she spent the whole morning interviewing the people she was interested in by phone, narrowing down her list to two women, who had outstanding r ésumés and plenty of work experience. 

Having settled her replacement, she then surfed the net to see if any of the media related jobs sparked something in her, her research often paused for a food break or a small intervention on the streets of National City. But, contrary to her expectations, nothing seemed like her thing. Even though her Bachelor was in Marketing, and the online algorithm for deciding the most suitable job had placed her in the Marketing, nothing of the existing positions seemed like a good fit. Staring at the screen of her laptop, she missed her sister dearly, knowing that Alex would have had good advice for her. 

Just when she was about to break her computer in frustration and toss it away in search for dinner, a knock came from her door. With a quick look over her glasses, she saw James waiting, uncomfortably shifting from one foot to the other while his arms were crossed at his chest. She was so tempted to leave him outside, pretending not to be home, but she still cared about him, regardless of the fact that now she was, maybe, off the market. 

Opening the door, Kara offered him a small, barely there smile in return to his quiet ‘Hey, Kara’, inviting him in without a word. She closed the door, remaining by them as she watched the tall man walk into her apartment, wringing his hands, his head swivelling around the place before he turned around and faced her.

“I, um,” he started, still not looking at her. “I was, uh, I was thinking, uh,” he spoke before he shook his head. “Maybe, I should, uh,” he tried again before tapering off in the middle of the sentence. “You, uh, did, um… Well, you see, uh…” 

“Is something wrong?” Kara asked him, coming closer to the man, unused to seeing him squirming. Her voice brought his eyes up and he looked at her, before he glanced away for a short moment.

“Well, we were, uh,” he started again, reaching for an orange from a fruit bowl she had on her counter, tossing it back and forth from one hand to the other, while he still tried to get one sentence out. “We were gonna talk, um, about, uh, the - the thing and I, um, wanted to make, uh, sure we…” 

Watching him was painful, and Kara wanted to snatch that darn orange out of his hands, but she didn’t know how to behave around him in such a state. “Is this about what I said under Red Kryptonite?”

“Yeah,” he sighed in relief before he smiled at her, as if he expected her to do something. 

“Okay,” she frowned at him. 

“Well, I thought we could, um, talk about that? And, maybe, um, even…” But, then, suddenly the orange fell to the ground and rolled away as James dropped both of his hands down, his body losing the nervousness he had been brimming with till that moment, and his face showing no emotion. He turned and walked slowly toward the door, opening them without a word.

“James?” she spoke in confusion as she followed him out. “James, are you okay?” she asked as she walked into the hallway behind him, seeing several of her neighbours stepping away in the same, measured emotionless gait. Getting back inside to get her phone, she glanced outside the window and froze when she saw what was happening outside.

Quickly, she changed into her suit and tried to call into DEO, but the main switchboard was unavailable and Lucy didn’t answer any of the calls. Jumping out of the window and flying upwards, she bit her lip as she deliberated which way to go. Northeast, to DEO, or West. Making a snap decision, she turned West and sped up, getting to her target in a matter of seconds. Finding an open window, she widened the space so she could get inside and searched the duplex for the sign of the woman she was looking for, and finding her on the upper floor, she hurried up, materializing in front of the seated woman in a blur, making her yelp in surprise.

Snatching the woman into her arms, she held her as she said, “Oh, Rao, you’re okay.”

“Kara?” Cat questioned, patting the girl on her back, unable to move much more due to the embrace young hero had on her. “Of course, I’m okay,” she replied when the young woman moved back, sitting on her haunches in front of Cat, who was sitting on an elegant stool by the make-up table in her bedroom, still dressed in her day clothes and a small gift bag by her on the table. “What’s going on?” she asked when she saw Kara’s worried eyes and the suit.

“I, I don’t know,” Kara replied, levitating to her feet in one smooth move as she gestured outside. “Something’s wrong with people. I was on my way to the base to see if they knew what’s this about, and I had to stop by to see if you were affected.” 

Cat smiled at the caring gesture, but this wasn’t a right moment for Supergirl to waste time. “Go, Kara. See what’s happening and we’ll talk later. Chop chop.”

“Yes, Ms. Grant,” Kara replied by rote before realizing what she had said. Cat just stood up and smirking at the girl, kissed her blushing cheek.

“Up and away with you,” she urged, getting the hero to move, before she started laughing with amused mirth, sending Kara off with her ears ringing.

After stopping the release of the inmates at the DEO. with almost no time to spare, and knocking Lucy and Vasquez unconscious, she flew to the Fortress of Solitude, hoping to find Clark or at least an answer to what Myriad was. Engaging in a logical match with Kellex, she managed to finally get some answers, learning why the High Council on Krypton had been so afraid of even the mention of the Myriad, and why Astra and Non had been really sent to Fort Rozz.

Not knowing what else to do, she got to CatCo and after unsuccessfully trying to get her friends to snap out of it, she caught the news report on General Lane’s quarantine orders. If anyone had told her that she would willingly call him to ask for help, she would have rolled her eyes at them, laughing, but now as she was typing in the numbers into her untraceable phone, she could only hope he would work with her to find a way to solve this mess. A short conversation and a tenuous peace forged later, Kara was startled by the sound of Cat’s elevator dinging, and when it opened, the woman herself strolled into the bullpen, paying no heed to the mindless workers around her as she walked to her office, absently throwing a comment about one of her acquaintances away at Kara, addressing her as if she was still Ms. Grant’s assistant, not even looking up from her phone.

Awkwardly clearing her throat, Kara just stood there, in her suit, not knowing what to do.

“Oh,” Cat looked at her and smiled. “Did you find what was going on?” When Kara frowned at her question, coming closer to her, still silent, she took off her glasses. “What?”

“It’s still happening,” Supergirl replied, before she shook off her confusion. “Everyone in the city is affected by this alien signal,” she said, throwing a glance at the woman in front of her, before she continued. “They’re acting like automatons.” She showed Cat her own bullpen and the quiet workers typing away at the symbols fleeting over their screens.

“Kara?” Cat whispered, as she realized that what she was seeing was far from normal, coming closer to the hero. Before she could ask questions, though, a chime came on a phone Kara whipped out from her belt. 

“Clark,” Kara murmured as she read the message, turning away and going into a light jog through the bullpen.

“Superman?”

“He’s coming to help,” Kara added as she went to the balcony looking over the crowded street. 

“He is?” Cat followed Kara outside. “Is it that serious?” When Kara didn’t answer but continued to scan the skies for the sign of her cousin, Cat looked down and noticed for the first time the real scope of the situation. “What’s happening to everyone?” she murmured in fear. When Kara exclaimed in relief, pointing to something in the distance, she tried to see what was making Kara so excited, but she couldn’t see that far. 

“What?” Supergirl’s confusion drew her attention back to the woman beside her. “Oh, dear God, no,” Kara begged as she looked down, her fists tapping the cement railing of the balcony, small spider cracks appearing beneath her hands. 

“What’s wrong?” Cat asked, her eyes still on the damage incurred on her building.

“Myriad. It’s affecting him too.”

What was that name again? “Myriad?” Cat felt her insides freeze. “Wait a minute, if it’s affecting Superman, how are we not mindless right now? Are we going to be?”

Their answer came from an unexpected source. “Well, I may not be Superman, but…” said Maxwell Lord as he walked from behind them. “I do have my moments,” he finished his pompous statement, placing his fists on his hips. As he explained how he had realized what the Kryptonians had been doing, and inventing the blockers to stop the effects of Myriad, Kara clenched her teeth at his arrogant posturing, and his perfect excuse for not sharing his tech with DEO. When she heard that it were the earrings he had sent to Cat that kept her from joining the army of mindless drones, and when she saw him tuck Cat’s hair behind her ear, the first thing she felt was jealousy and possessiveness, barely stopping herself from flinging him out of the window. But, locking her frame and fisting her hands, she just looked down.

“Speaking off, where is your faithful assistant?” Max asked, turning away from Cat and tossing a wink in Kara’s direction. As she straightened her suit, he looked back at Cat. “Out marching with the masses?”

Cat sighed, understanding the thing he was doing, especially now when she knew that Maxwell Lord was quite familiar with who Supergirl was. Trying to get a rise out of Kara and being all superior to Cat, for seemingly knowing more that the Queen of all Media. “Don’t be glib, Max,” she reproached him as her eyes connected with Kara’s for a moment, before she turned to sit behind her desk. “Probably should be worried about her.” And, she was, regardless of the fact that Kara was right in front of her. She didn’t doubt for a second that things would get worse for the young hero before they got better. And, she was right. Watching Kara suffer for not being able to save Kelly, then agonizing over whether she should accept Max’s plan would kill more than 300 000 people and make it impossible to remain in National City. After Max had left, she found the girl on the balcony overlooking the Plaza, and a bit farther, the park, pacing the length of it with her hands on her hips, as she chewed her lip and mumbled something under her breath. 

“Oh, I always liked the view from here,” she said with a sigh, her words drawing Kara’s attention, slowing her restless motion. “Wish I had it from my office. I like looking at the park. All the people. Mothers pushing their strollers. Kids playing.” Not able to resist goading the hero, she added with a bite, “I wonder which of them will die in Max’s moronic attempt to save the city.”

Kara turned to her, her hands flinging in gesture of defeat. “I don’t know how to fight this. What would you have me do?” Frustration and dread making her sound desperate and a bit petulant. 


	12. Chapter 12

“You could come up with a better plan than irradiating the city and killing thousands of people,” Cat said pointedly, before she walked toward the young hero, seeing Kara drop her head down into her hands as she leaned with her elbows on the low railing and sigh deeply, her breath bringing crystals of frost to the cultivated hedge growing on the outer side of the railing. Cat leaned over the still bent woman and rubbed her shoulder. “I know this reminds you too much of the choice your mother made, and that you are terrified you’ll choose wrong and lose another home and another family,” she spoke gently, her fingers twining a lock of Kara’s hair. “I know you are scared,” she continued, determined to give Kara a much needed pep talk.  “I am, too,” she admitted, her confession making Kara look her way, the deep blue eyes searching hers. “But, so is Max. And, so is Non, for that matter. All of you are letting your fear guide you, but somebody has to find the courage to stand up even though they’re afraid.” Letting the blonde lock slip through her fingers, Cat straightened up and stuffed her hands in to the pockets of her pants, pulling herself a bit away, looking down at the park. “You know, the worst decisions I’ve ever made in my life were based on fear. Some of them I’ve made in regards to you.” She turned toward Kara and looked into her face. “But you showed me that there was another way to be strong, by having faith in people. By believing that goodness will prevail. And, because of you, I started letting people in. I opened myself up to you, Kara, and it has brought me so many rewards thus far.” Coming closer to the young woman, she placed her hand on Kara’s forearm, pleased to see the desperation leaving Kara’s eyes. “Now, I can’t tell you what to do. But, if you’ve taught me anything, you have taught me that hope is stronger than fear.“ Sliding her hand toward Kara’s chest, she chuckled lightly as she placed her fingers on the red symbol feeling the strong beat of the heart underneath it. “And, that is what I think of every time I look at this.” She came even closer and tilted her head up to see the blue eyes. “You’ve changed me, Kara. And, I am not easy to change. And, I believe you can change everyone out there. Not with violence, not with fear.” She lifted her hands up and placed them on Kara’s shoulders. “Just be Supergirl. That’s all anyone’s ever needed from you.” 

Kara breathed out slowly and wrapped her arms around the woman, her head sinking into Cat’s shoulder. “Thank you, Cat.”

“I have faith in you, Kara,” Cat whispered softly into the young woman’s ear enjoying the strong embrace, her arms grasping firmly onto Kara’s body, reluctant to let her go. 

“That gives me an idea,” Kara spoke softly as she released Cat from her hug, still keeping one arm over the older woman’s back. She quickly elaborated on what had just occurred her, and gaining Cat’s approval, the two of them set out to implement it. Quickly getting Max on their side, they went to Cat’s old TV station and started prepping the equipment.

When a deep sound of impact reverberated through the ground, Supergirl ordered both magnates to stay in, safe, as she rushed out. It took her only a second to recognize the human in the metal frame, and only a few seconds more to realize that Alex was under the thrall of Myriad. Her heart sank, as Kryptonite started poisoning her. Another one of Non’s games. She refused to fight Alex and when her sister pulled out the same sword that had killed her aunt, she felt her still unhealed wound twist in pain.

She engaged in the fight, only using defensive maneuvers, while feeling the burn of Kryptonite, trying to reason with the woman attacking her. Overcome by the poison and her reluctance to hurt Alex, she was defeated, and if it weren’t for her foster mother’s love-fueled voice, she would’ve died that night, at the hands of her sister. But, Eliza did manage to get through Alex’s Myriad thrall, snapping her out of it. 

Watching all that from behind a corner, Cat kept her hand over her mouth, stopping herself from screaming Kara’s name. She had heard Non’s taunts, and seen Kara get injured by the green glowy things, and she wanted to go to the young hero, but she knew she would be a liability, or worse, a straight up distraction. But, when it seemed that the Danvers’ women had it in hand, she sneaked back inside, ignoring Max’s wide grin. Pretending to be busy as Max fiddled with the old machines, she watched as the three Danvers women came in, followed by the so called FBI agent she had met the night Leslie had redecorated her office. She had seen him fly in with Dr. Danvers just minutes before, and with light smirk, she realized - this was the person that had pretended to be Kara that awful day. Watching him flounder in confusion as she and Max tag teamed him with the explanation of what Kara wanted to do gave her a great pleasure, but not as great as seeing her former assistant reunited with her sister, not missing the gentle hug the two women shared. When everything was ready, she offered a chair by her side to Dr. Danvers, nodding in greeting as she finally got the chance to look upon the woman who had helped Kara so much, giving her a home, a family, a life. 

When the phones started ringing just after the end of broadcast, the whole team sighed in relief, as it could mean only one thing - the Myriad was broken.

The black man and Alex immediately left for the DEO, while Kara went to give her foster mother a ride back to her apartment, having already promised Cat that they would meet a bit later, leaving Cat and Max to figure out their own way home.

“I can’t believe that worked,” Max murmured as he was shutting off the machines, making Cat grin with smugness. “You are good for her,” he added over his shoulder.

“She is good for me,” she replied, a soft smile spreading across her face, before her phone ringing brought her attention to the device. Seeing Carter’s name, she turned away from Max and answered it, immediately rushing to soothe her boy.

* * *

 

Later that evening, Kara walked up to Cat’s building, and greeted by the doorman who held the door open for her, she went to the elevator, quite surprised that the older woman had already placed her on the list of approved visitors. Then, she remembered that she was supposed to come that day, anyways, for Carter, and chuckling at herself she went into the cabin, leaning against the back wall of the metal box, closing her eyes to center herself in the brief time she had until the elevator reached the top floor.

Knocking on the apartment door, she rubbed her forehead and pushed her hair back, messing up the ponytail she had in place. “Hey,” she greeted softly when the door opened and the other woman invited her in. 

“You hungry?” Cat asked offhandedly, as she walked back to the kitchen, trusting Kara to follow her.

“Always,” Kara said lightly, then inhaling the wonderful scents wafting from the stove, placing herself behind the breakfast bar, where the plates were set for two. 

“Good,” Cat said over her shoulder as she tossed some of the herbs into a saucepan, while mixing a soup with her other hand at the same time. “I’ve made a bit much, it seems,” she added as she stepped away from the cooker and leaned on the bar, across from Kara. 

“You didn’t have to do this, you know,” Kara spoke softly as she reached to touch gently Cat’s hand. 

“I was already cooking for myself,” the older woman waved off her concern, before she returned to the bubbling liquids on the stove, turning the knobs into the neutral position. “There is no much difference in cooking for one or more.” She quickly split the thick tomato soup into two bows, adding basil and a hearty dollop of sour cream to Kara’s portion before placing them onto the bar. “How are your people?” she asked as she took her seat. What she really wanted to know was how Kara was feeling, with everything that had happened that day, but she wasn’t going to push. 

“Hank and Kal are at the DEO, under medical supervision,” Kara said, the worry in her tone obvious. “Alex is there, with them and getting things back in motion.” Eating several spoonfuls of soup, she looked at her host. “Had several missed calls from the boys, but I wasn’t ready to call them back.” She placed her spoon down into the empty bowl. “James came to see me,” she spoke carefully, her eyes watching the woman in front of her. “Just before Myriad started.”

Cat paused with her spoon for a moment, looking up at the woman across from her, her look inscrutable. She didn’t speak, just waiting for Kara to get to the point.

“It was so awkward,” the young woman said, her point finger drawing something over the marble surface of the bar. “He wanted to talk about what I did and said during the,” she looked up at Cat and smiled, “brain thing, and he just couldn’t speak coherently.” Actually, he had been worse that a seriously introverted teenage boy with his first crush, and it rubbed Kara wrong. If the idea of relationship between them would reduce an extremely cocky and confident man to a blubbering mess… “I mean, I’ve had my share of bumbled proposals but never this bad. And, it wasn’t even a little bit cute. So, I’m just avoiding him.”

“You work with him, Kara,” Cat said with a touch of rebuke in her tone. “Tomorrow, he will be there the first thing in the morning, and you’ll have to deal with him.”

“I know,” Kara groaned.

“But, that’s for tomorrow,” Cat said, turning around and getting off her chair. Within a few minutes, she placed a large plate covered with foil, uncovering it and revealing steamed vegetables. Then, she brought out plates with chicken breasts covered in white sauce. “This will take your mind off it.”

With gusto, both Kara and Cat dove into dinner, their chat only touching on light topics, too wary of delving into harder subjects, especially after such a hard day. Kara did ask about Carter and his whereabouts, since during the Myriad all air traffic had been suspended, with Cat replying that he was with his father’s family, and would stay there until Non was dealt with. 

“Let me help,” Kara asked as they were finished and Cat started removing the dishes. Without waiting for the older woman’s response, she gathered everything and took it to the kitchen sink, careful with the china. Letting the dishes soak in steaming hot water, she quickly found where the soap and sponge were, and starting to wash them and paying no heed to the heat of the water.

“Kara,” Cat said, shaking her head as she joined her guest by the sink.

“You cooked,” the young woman replied with a crooked smile. “This is the least I could do,” she said as she used a bit of her speed to deal away with the dishes. 

Cat crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, her eyes passing over the woman beside her. In her long sleeved grey t-shirt and dark skinny jeans, with her hair up in a messy ponytail, Kara looked quite at home in her kitchen, putting away the plates and crockery in proper places as if she had been doing it for some time, and that pleased her immensely. The girl hadn’t given her any inclination which way her decision would go, but being so comfortable around her promised, if not the romantic relationship, at least a close friendship. 

“Done,” Kara exhaled and there, the kitchen was immaculate.

“You’re quite handy, I admit that,” Cat smirked, hip checking the girl lightly. “So, about tomorrow,” the CEO of CatCo started, opening her freezer and digging out an unopened tub of Rocky Road. “Due to the whole madness yesterday, we should go with business as usual, before bringing out the candidates for your job,” she considered out loud, having given Kara one of the spoons she had taken out of the drawer, placing the tub between them. “But, day after should be fine.”

“I already found several people,” Kara spoke before stuffing her mouth with a large spoonful of the dark dessert.

“Good, then. And, I have a surprise for you at the office.” Despite the young woman’s begging, she didn’t reveal her surprise, wanting to see Kara’s face when she saw it. 

As they ate the cold goodness, and talked about the plans for the next day, Cat noticed that the young hero was slowly moving toward her until finally their elbows were touching. Not only that, the taller woman placed her spoon in her other hand in order to keep the contact. Curious, the mogul let her body sag slightly against Kara, wanting to see what the girl would do next, and the young woman shifted slightly under her, bracing the older woman’s shoulder with her chest. 

It was strange, Cat noted to herself as she listened to the young woman talk about the candidates she had found, to be enticed so covertly, so slowly, with only gentle forays into the personal space she maintained. And, she didn’t even think Kara knew what was happening. All her other lovers had moved with clear purpose, their intentions obvious and unmistakable, with goals to arouse, to seduce, to conquer. But, like this, Cat was feeling her affection and comfort rising for the girl beside her more strongly than the low edge of heat that had become a constant companion whenever she would be around the girl or think about her. When she noticed the silence, she looked up at her guest, finding her blue eyes peering down at her with worry. 

“Sorry, what did you say?” Cat spoke, after realizing that she had missed the last part of Kara’s story. 

“It’s late,” the hero spoke softly, placing her spoon into the sink. “And, you’ll be at work in less than five hours. I should go.” Winding her right arm around Cat’s free shoulder, she turned the woman into a gentle embrace. “Get some sleep,” she murmured softly into the woman’s ear. As she moved away, she offered the woman a gentle, affectionate smile. “I’ll see you soon,” she added, turning to leave.

“Kara,” Cat called out, stopping the other woman with a hand on a forearm. Not to be outdone by her guest, she wrapped her arms around Kara’s neck, kissing the girl’s cheek, mindful of the glasses. Then, she released the girl and spoke, “Good night,” with a wide smirk. 

Kara just chuckled, shaking her head in amusement before she left the apartment. 


	13. Chapter 13

Choosing a newly bought dress to wear to her office, she went and picked up Cat’s coffee, knowing that the woman was already at work, dealing with the new content for publishing, as the industrious editor had planned the night before. Taking the folders from the reception, she walked to her desk, enjoying the fact that everyone was rushing around, too busy with their work, the picture so different from the day before. And, immediately after walking into the bullpen, she was beset by her friends, the two of them apologizing for what they’d said under Myriad. Relieved to see them normal again she hugged them, laughing away their thanks for saving them, but in that moment, her eyes fell on the empty desk, and a strong punch of guilt hit her. She hadn’t saved everyone.

Seeing the direction of her look and the shift in her mood, James jumped in, trying to console her. “Hey, Kara, nobody could have saved all three of us. Not even Clark.”

Kara frowned at his words. Not even Clark? The way he said it, like Clark was some shining but unreachable example she should look up to, made the hero grit her teeth and she clenched her fists at her hips. But, she refused to outwardly react to his words and focused on the more important thing. “Well, the DEO is working to find Non and Indigo, and when they do, they’ll pay for what they did,” she said with quiet conviction before she turned to get behind her desk. She could already hear her boss approaching and she wasn’t going to get caught unprepared, not on her last day. 

However, James seemed to have a different idea, leaning against her desk as he tried to joke, before he said, “I think we should talk about that thing that happened, uh, right before Myriad struck.”

“The thing,” she repeated slowly, pretending not to know what he was talking about as she went through the mail.

“Yeah, the thing thing,” he insisted, leaning in a bit more. 

Really? She thought as she looked at him, still playing oblivious to his insinuation. He wanted to discuss it there, at work, with only moments before Cat Grant stormed in? “What thing?”she asked, ignoring Winn’s not so subtle retreat, taking the coffee cup out of the tray and walking around her desk, with her pad and the cup in her hands. 

“Well, I came to your place and, uh,” he started floundering again and chuckled nervously, lifting away from the desk and placing his hands into his pockets. “We were going to have a talk.” 

She looked at him, her blue eyes pinning him down as she shifted a bit to the side, making sure the cup was in her right hand. “Were we?” she asked him flatly, before she turned to her incoming boss, the coffee hand off done with perfection of practiced ease, grateful for the woman’s timely appearance. 

Even when the woman was rebuking the employees for being late for the morning meeting, urging them to get to her office, she offered a small but fleeting smile to her to be former assistant. After the morning meeting she discreetly waved Kara away, giving her permission to leave for her other work.

Nodding in thanks, Kara wasted no time and flew out to the DEO base in the desert, meeting with Alex and Eliza there. They weren’t in the same room since the Thanksgiving, excluding the previous night, and Kara honestly missed those moments. But, life so often interfered, and she knew that. Eliza was busy with her research at a privately funded lab in Midvale, Alex was beyond busy with the DEO and she was still learning to balance two lives. Even with the heavy burden of sharing the truth of Jeremiah’s disappearance didn’t sour the moment of family for Kara.

However, the appearance of the certain industrial magnate did. But, she listened to him, realizing the grimness of the situation quite quickly. She had only four hours to find and stop Non from killing everyone on Earth, and she had to do it alone. If only within the quiet of her mind, she agreed with Max’s prognostication - it was a suicide mission. But, to save the people she loved, she’d gladly do it. So, taking Max’s words to her heart, she went first to her private room and kneeling before the hologram of her mother, she started speaking Rao’s prayer, the long unspoken language flowing easily off her lips, the simulation joining her on the knees, her proper diction beautifully harmonizing with Kara’s. Then, she spoke to her sister, informing her that she had to go to CatCo, her eyes tracing the faces of her family, as if they hadn’t already been seared in her mind. She saw Lucy hovering over J’onn, her presence keeping the soldiers at bay. She saw Max hunched over several computer units, his fingers dancing over the keyboards. She saw others clearing out the wreckage from the failed prison escape. And, with a last look around, she turned and walked away. 

She walked in at her floor at CatCo, and saw Winn drink something for the obvious headache he had. Unable to look at him suffering and to pretend that everything was fine, she tried to rush right beside him, but he, as a good friend he was, saw her solemn expression and tried to cheer her up, offering her a Red Vine, but seeing him there, his always kind and welcoming smile, she had to say something. She had to thank him for being such a good influence in her life. However, when he chuckled away her meaningful words, not knowing how to react to them, she knew that if she said anything more, he would suspect something was up.

“Keira!” came from Cat’s office, and with Winn’s gentle nudge, she walked away from her friend, inhaling deeply, not knowing how would she ever pretend with the woman who could sometimes see to the bottom of her soul. 

And, if it weren’t for Cat’s off-handed remark of Carpe Diem, she would’ve walked away with her mask intact, but she couldn’t do that. Not with the woman who had opened so much to her, and who had been such an inspiration both to Supergirl and Kara. And, someone she was finding to care immensely about. “Ms. Grant?” she spoke softly, turning around to the woman.

Alerted by the strange tone in Kara’s voice, Cat lifted her head and saw the sorrow in the hero’s eyes. 

“Can we talk?” Kara asked tremulously, her eyes flicking towards the balcony, as she fiddled with the paper cup in her hand. Cat removed her glasses, tossing them on the desk and rose from her chair, letting Kara precede her as they went to the balcony. As she closed the door behind them, she braced herself, for she had a feeling that what she was about to hear she wouldn’t like at all. 

Kara placed the coffee onto the railing and came closer to the other woman. “I just want you to know that working for you a true honor,” she spoke quietly, her lips curving into a barely there smile. “You are my role model, both for Supergirl and me, and you lead this city with such strength and grace,” she said as her voice took on a softer, admiring tone. “And underneath that prickly exterior,” Kara added, trying to insert some levity in her voice but failing miserably, “ahem, you have the biggest heart of anyone I know.” She stepped even closer to her boss, taking her hand in both of hers. “I just… I'm just trying to say thank you for being an amazing mentor and friend,” she spoke with solemn honesty, her eyes glinting in the afternoon Sun. 

At first, Cat believed Kara had come to a choice about their relationship, hence such beginning in her speech. But, as the young woman spoke on, she realized that this was something much more serious. “Okay, so,” she said with her eyebrows raised. “That was either my eulogy or your dictated suicide note,” Cat commented with her particular brand of sass. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

When the alien looked away and bit the inside of her lips, she frowned. “Kara?” The girl opened her mouth but after a second, she looked up and bit her upper lip, shaking her head, her eyes closing in defeat, forcing out a single tear to slide down her cheek. Cat also noticed Kara’s stiff posture, and called by the sudden need to comfort the young woman in front of her, she brought her other hand to Kara’s face, her palm resting against her cheek, while her thumb caressed the soft skin beside the young woman’s nose, wiping away the salty trail. “Kara.” 

“I can’t,” the assistant quavered suddenly, moving away from Cat and disappearing of the balcony via the office door.

Storming out of Cat’s office, she almost left the building completely, but she had another goodbye to say, no matter how complicated it was between her and James right now. Slowing her gate to a walk, she went to the Art Department and entered the room, remaining by the door, greeting the man with only a soft ‘Hey’ and crossing her arms at her middle. 

“Hey, I was just thinking about you.” When she didn’t react to his words, he went on. “I was thinking that we should finish that conversation that we started earlier that was interrupted.”

“Except, we have never started it, James,” she sighed. She saw him cross his arms defensively as he came closer to her.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’ve realized some things in the past few days. A lot of things, actually.” She looked at him and calm settled over her. “I care deeply about you. Only, not the way you probably want me to.”

“That’s,” James started to speak, but she interrupted him.

“James, I know in my heart that we would be miserable together, with you always comparing me with Clark and I always trying to measure up to your expectations of me. But, even without all that, I’ve come to understand that I am not in love with you, and that I mistook affection and friendship for something more.” Looking at his stunned face, she cleared her throat and pushed further. “And now, the most important thing to me is that you find happiness. Find someone who appreciates how amazing you are.” Having said that, she turned away to leave, but he stopped her at the door, trying to make sense of her words. “I care about you, James Olsen. Always remember that.” She left, ignoring his hands trying to stop her. 

Making a last circuit over the city that had been her home for the last seven years, she directed herself to the DEO, knowing that the time was almost up. She walked into the lab, finding J’onn sitting up and looking at her with worry in his eyes. Knowing that as the Last Son of Mars, he would understand her actions, she told him why James was worried. She told him that she was there to protect the Earth and that she would do it gladly, joining her family in the light of Rao. She would fight, but she was ready to give it all. Kissing him in the forehead, she walked away, at peace. There was one person left, but she could never say goodbye to her, so after she got the coordinates to Fort Rozz, and after J’onn came to join her, she took off her mother’s pendant and gave it to Alex, the only way she could think of saying farewell without actually saying it. 

Blinding her uncle after a tough fight among equals, she saw that J’onn had taken care of Indigo, leaving her alive just long enough to tell them that all of it had been for nothing. The elation she had felt after defeating Non disappeared as she took a look at the enormous space station that had served as a prison, knowing she would have to lift millions and millions of tons into space and J’onn was too injured to help her. Leaving him with a heavy nod, she flew into the ship, right into the command center. 

Realizing that she still had a little bit of time, and that it was the last chance to speak to her sister, she took it, her heartfelt words bringing tears to her eyes. As she listened to Alex searching for another way, she could hear the moment her sister realized what it actually meant for Kara to do what she needed. Forcing the promise out of her was something she could never regret, even when it was spoken with such pain. Saying the final ‘I love you’ to the person she owed so much of her life to broke her heart, and she used her speed to take out the communicator out of her ear, knowing that if she were to hear her sister calling her name, she would falter, dooming the whole planet. So, leaving the small device on the control panel, she flew outside and bracing herself at the highest strong-point for her thrust, she started pushing. She pushed with all her might, ignoring the pain Non’s hits had left her with, and blinked in relief when she felt the metal heap starting to give way, rising up from its landing point bit by bit, until Kara broke through the clouds. With the hardest part behind her, she took a deep breath and forced herself for one final push to get the ship out of the Earth’s gravitational pull, so it wouldn’t fall down some time later. As she broke through the last atmospheric barrier, she started praying. 

“And, we shall rise, a fire in His heart, burning and free,” she thought the last of it as the comforting rays of pure white brilliance enveloped her in warmth and she closed her eyes for what she believed would be the last time.


	14. Chapter 14

After the cranium splitting headaches had passed, Cat picked herself up off her knees, dropping herself on the couch and looked around her office, seeing most of her staff still unconscious on the floor just beyond the glass door, downed where they had been standing with this mysterious wave of pain, with others moaning as they tried to get up, using the desks and chairs to help themselves up. Lifting her hand to her ear, she fingered the earings Max had given her, the ones she had decided to wear as a symbol of victory of human ingenuity over Non’s dastardly plans, and with startling insight, paired with the glaring evidence of danger in front of her, she came to a comprehension as to why Kara had been behaving so oddly earlier in the day. The woman’s name on her lips, thought back to the words the girl had spoken so sadly, so honestly and felt her face twist in panic. She jumped to her feet, her motion unsteady after the mind attack, and walked to her desk, sitting heavily into her chair and picking up her phone. But, she didn’t know who to call. Both James and Winn were passed out in front of her office and she never got the numbers of Kara’s sister or the shapeshifter. 

However, before she could even search for some kind of directory of secret government facilities, her desk phone rang and she snatched it up of its cradle in a second. “Please hold for the President,” she heard on the other side and she could only exhale sharply before her friend’s voice came through.

“I should’ve known nothing would keep the indomitable Cat Grant down for the count,” the President of the United States spoke over the phone, making Cat roll her eyes. 

“What’s going on, Olivia?” Cat snapped, her sharp tone making her vince, as small remaining twinges remained from the attack. 

“This is a courtesy call, Cat,” the POTUS snapped back, quite familiar with the woman’s temper. “Your Supergirl saved the world today, sacrificing her life in the process,” Olivia spoke softly. “If not for the persistence and doggedness of one of the government agents, she would be lost,” she added, ignoring her friend’s harsh sob caused by her words. “But, she is fine. Or, she will be when she recovers from the forcible reentry to Earth’s atmosphere.”

“She’s alive?” Cat murmured in relief, before the rest of Olivia’s sentence pierced her mind. “Reentry? She went to space?”

“She had to. It was the only way to stop Myriad completely.”

“And one of the men in black saved her?”

“Woman, actually, but yes. I thought you should know about your poster girl.” Accepting Cat’s grateful reply, the President hung up, leaving Cat once more swearing that she would give Alex anything the woman desired, for there was no one else who would brave space for Kara, never giving up on her.

With that particular worry eased, she started calling the people dear to her, while she watched the people in the bullpen wake up slowly, motioning Winn to join her after making his own calls, giving the same signal to James as soon as she saw him stand up. After speaking with her children, she was ready to get back to work. And, they had a lot of it. She planned to get the Tribune to run the full story of the day’s events, pushing Supergirl’s heroic sacrifice in the forefront, getting the timely jump on Daily Planet. Also, having seen Superman succumb to Myriad, she had another point of boasting, because it was her superhero that saved the world this time.

While busy with her editorial duties and coordinating the press releases with her entire media empire, she had not called for Kara once, already knowing that the young hero would be there as soon as she was allowed to leave the worried and watchful eyes of Doctor Danvers and Agent Danvers. What made her raise her eyebrow in curiosity was that neither James nor Winn realized that Cat had not raised hell for the fact that her assistant was absent in such a momentous time, when she needed Kara’s managerial talents more than ever. Chuckling lightly at the obliviousness of the men closest to the alien, she completely delved into her work, using it to distract herself from the fact that her younger son was still away from her and that the girl she liked more and more with each passing day was somewhere recovering from what had been going to be her last mission to save the city and the planet.

When she arrived at the office the next day, getting out of the private elevator, her coffee already in her hand as she assumed no one would be able to get it for her, she found the honey blonde sitting at her desk, dressed in a shirt with a cardigan over it, her hair pulled of her face with a simple clasp at the back of her head, eating something greasy and made out of puff pastry, and working on something with the tablet in front of her. She paused for a moment and watched the girl, looking for an obvious sign of injury, and waiting for the young woman to become aware of her presence, something that usually happened within seconds, and sometimes even before, of her arrival. But, when the hero remained oblivious to her, she sighed. Turning away from her elevator, she walked to the nearest supply closet, getting an empty banker’s box. Leaving her things on the desk of one of her employees, her hard look cautioning him to watch her belongings with care, she strolled to Kara’s working area and dropped the box onto the desk, startling the girl.

“What,” Kara inquired, eyeing the box in front of her. “What is this?”

“Banker’s box,” Cat replied calmly, catching the young woman’s eyes, her hand resting against her hip as she used the other to lean onto the desk. “Typically used to carry one's meager possessions as they're being escorted to the elevator in disgrace.” Grabbing the nearest thing on Kara’s desk, she picked it up and placed it in the box, quickly reaching for another. “Or by force, if necessary,” she added as she continued to haphazardly pack the things around her.

Too stunned to do anything but watch the woman in confusion, she asked, “What are you doing?”

In a fit of mischievousness, Cat grabbed Kara’s food by the foil and tossed it into the box. “Helping you pack.” 

Watching helplessly as the other woman took away her snack, she gasped “My…” but her boss continued undeterred. When Cat was done, she grabbed the box and lifting it up, she turned around and walked away, forcing Kara to get to her feet and rush after the older woman, all the while trying to understand what was going on. “Ms. Grant,” she said, well aware that they are at work. “Whatever is going on…” she started but when the willful woman turned sharply to the right at the elevator bay, walking away from the exit of disgrace, she fell silent, just hurriedly walking behind her boss. Cat entered a room Kara wasn’t even aware it was there, turning the lights on with her elbow and with a delighted sigh she lowered the box with Kara’s belongings onto the desk there.

“What is this?” Kara asked as she followed the woman inside. 

Cat turned around and smirked at the still confused woman. “This is your new office,” she said before she walked around Kara and closed the door, providing them with privacy so rare on the executive floor due to glass walls. 

“So, you’re not firing me,” the young hero spoke slowly, still not believing what is happening, shifting slightly to keep the other woman in her view.

“No, Kara,” Cat replied as she leaned against the door. “I am fulfilling my promise to you and showing you the surprise I have prepared.”

“What?” the younger blonde murmured, a frown deepening on her forehead.

Cat pushed away from the door and stalked toward the girl. “Did your trip up there cause damage to your memory?” she asked snidely when she got within inches from the young woman as she shook her head slightly. “You are promoted, remember?” she added, and unable to contain herself anymore, she pulled the younger woman into her arms. “Oh, God, Kara,” she murmured into the girl’s neck as she squeezed her arms around the girl.  

“I’m okay,” the hero mumbled in response, her own arms enforcing the embrace. “I’m okay.” Closing her eyes, she leaned her forehead against Cat’s shoulder, leaning slightly into the hug. Cat’s firm hold on her was hurting her back a bit, but she didn’t mind it. It spoke of care and worry and fear and relief, and Kara could never begrudge Cat showing those things, especially to her. “I’m okay,” she sighed into the warm skin of Cat’s neck, nuzzling her nose into the knitted pattern of the woman’s dress, her lips curling slightly when she felt a small shudder pass over the woman in her arms.

“Are you, really?” Cat insightfully asked as she caught the girl by her shoulders and pulled slightly away, her thumb playing with the lapel on the cardigan. “You didn’t hear me come in today,” she then said softly. “And, your skin is a bit colder than usual.”

“Well, there is that,” Kara fumbled with her glasses, oddly flattered that the woman in front of her had already a pretty good grasp on her behavior. “I’m just tired,” she spoke gently to Cat, dipping her head a bit, connecting their eyes on a more equal level. “You see, the solar radiation is pure in space, unfiltered by the Earth’s atmosphere, and being exposed to it healed me right up. Only, the coming down was the problem and I was unconscious, unable to properly guide my descent.”

“I really need to do something for agent Danvers,” Cat muttered as she peered into those beautiful eyes, giving Kara a gentle smile. “I am so glad to see you, Kara,” she whispered, her voice shaking with emotion before she nodded shortly to herself and released the other woman’s shoulders. With a long and calming exhale, she glanced around the office. “What ever you decide, whatever the job you pick, this is yours. If you need a quiet moment or privacy, or... You can keep the extra clothes, the extra snack, whatever you like, in here. Right around this wall is the fire escape, and on the other side is the quickest way to the roof. Not to mention the side window that can be opened right outside of it.”

Kara gaped at the CEO, stumbling a step back and leaned against the desk. Cat had given her just the privacy she needed for the Supergirl business and also a private space just for her. “You did this for me?” she whispered in awe.

“It’s not like you don’t deserve it,” Cat replied as she played with her necklace, slightly uncomfortable at the girl’s awe filled gratitude. She glanced away, and in that moment she found herself pulled into another hug, making her yelp in surprise.

“You’re amazing,” Kara spoke to her, still holding on to her.

“You’ve said.” 

“I mean it.” Kara inhaled deeply and released the woman. “You’ve been there for me in ways I…” She didn’t know how to explain their sometimes adversarial relationship. Yes, Cat had been hard on her, and unreasonable at times, and they had hurt each other in the past, but also, Cat had helped her become centered as a hero and better as a person. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without you.” 

Cat shook her head. “You would,” she spoke before she cleared her throat. “You never needed me to become the hero you are today,” she said, placing a finger on Kara’s lips when the girl was about to rebut her. “And, yes, I gave you some good advice and a few pointers,” she peered into the blue eyes, making her point. “But, you would’ve gotten there on your own, eventually. Your heart is too big and too kind for you to be anything else than someone who would help the people of this city, and even the world.” Tapping the girl’s upper lip with the tip of her finger, she lowered her voice. “I know,” she spoke earnestly. “You’ve helped me all these years and I haven’t been very kind to you.”

“Cat,” Kara murmured against the digit, before she took Cat’s hand into her own. 

“Don’t say it was your job,” the older blonde warned. “No one else sought to make my life happier. More organised, yes, but you were the only one who would go above and beyond your duties, Kara. And I know that it is because you’ve taken me under your protection for some reason, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I am not aware of the fact how you’ve made my life better, more meaningful.” Stepping away from the young woman and taking her hand away from the gentle grasp Kara had on it, she cleared her throat and fussed with her hair. “Now, because you are officially not my assistant any more, I am giving you the rest of the day off, so you can spend it with your family.” Offering her a small, watery but loving smile, Cat opened the door and walked out, her heels loud in the echoing silence of the elevator bay, leaving Kara alone in her new office.


	15. Chapter 15

Kara was sitting on the floor by the opened window, staring at the stars on the clear sky, a half empty bottle of beer in her hand, absently resting against her thigh. It was late at night, and most of the lights in the buildings around her own were off. The soft sounds of a dishwasher interrupted the calm silence at the apartment which only hours before had been filled with Kara’s family and friends.

She had hosted a small ‘We’ve won’ party that evening, the get-together serving as a celebration of both her new promotion and her heroic efforts, a goodbye dinner for Eliza with her impending return to Midvale in the morning, a celebration for J’onn for being cleared and reinstated at work and for Lucy for becoming an insider in the Superfriends. Having the six most important people in her life over for dinner and drinks had been a perfect ending to a harrowing week, and a month. It had been slightly uncomfortable with James and his gift after she had rejected him, again, reinforcing that the words she had spoken during Myriad had not been her way of letting him off the hook. To avoid the cringeworthy silence, she had spent most of the time with her family and Lucy, sharing some of her previous adventures with her, before Eliza and J’onn had roped Luce in the discussion about the direction of DEO. 

As the evening had passed, most people had turned to leave, each one of them giving Kara a tight embrace in goodbye, leaving only the Danvers women in the apartment. Eliza had excused herself to bed only an hour before, claiming that she had too much champagne, letting the girls take care of the remaining dishes and leftovers. 

“Hey,” Alex whispered as she sat down by her, leaning back to see what was keeping her sister’s attention for so long. After her mom had conked out on the only bed in the loft, they had agreed to use the couch for the night, perhaps catch up on some of the TV show Alex had missed during her run. But, since Alex had come out from the bathroom, Kara had been watching the skies, unusually quiet. So, she had taken a beer and took a seat beside her. “You OK?”

Kara hummed in confirmation, her eyes not moving from whatever she was looking at. “I can see it from here,” she whispered into the night. “Fort Rozz. I can see the light refracting off its hull.” In all the turmoil over Myriad and her uncle, she had forgotten about the other prisoners that had stood with Non. She had found them in stasis, just like Non had said they were, and it would keep them safe for a while, but at some point the small amount of power that the ship had would run out and the pods would deactivate. And, then, all those prisoners would be stranded on an immovable ship with no food or water, and no way to come down. Sentenced to death, in effect. But, she wouldn’t share this with Alex tonight. No, she would go to J’onn in the morning. 

“Kara,” Alex softly uttered but the girl turned towards her and smiled, gently tapping her bottle with her own. After another long silence, Alex simply had to ask a question that had been on her mind for most of the evening. No, it wasn’t about James. “When were you going to tell me that Cat Grant, the Queen of all Media, knows who you are?” She looked pointedly at her sister, daring her to lie. But, when the blonde sighed and took a sip of her already tepid beer, Alex copied her. 

“As soon as things calmed down a bit,” Kara spoke quietly, her fingers rolling the bottle in her hand. “But, she’s not going to expose me, Alex.”

The agent wasn’t worried about her sister being exposed, but about being hurt, like she had been when her boss had found it out for the first time. “She fired you over this,” she said, trying to remain calm. 

“Because she didn’t want me to waste my time as an assistant. Something J’onn had in common with her.” Kara said, her eyes pleading with Alex to leave it be. “How did you know, anyways?”

Alex rolled her eyes at her sister, before she took a large swallow of her drink, giving Kara the bottle to cool it slightly down. “She gave you an office with no windows in the building where she had made a point of having most of the interior walls made of glass. An office close to various points of exit.” Shaking her head, she sipped again, now the slightly bitter liquid chilled to the proper level. “I started to suspect when your friends didn’t call me in panic over your disappearance at work. Not to mention that Cat was blasting out her Supergirl appreciation thing on every channel she owns, something that she would most definitely need you for.”

Kara chuckled lowly. “J’onn messed up while I was under Black Mercy,” she said with humor in her voice. “And, James’s reputation did most of the work.” 

“Because he’s Superman’s best friend.”

“And, he was around me the whole time.”

“Is that why she promoted you?” Alex had to ask, knowing that the question could provoke Kara’s ire, prompting her to defend the media mogul. 

“No,” Kara replied calmly. “She believes in me, Alex,” she said, her voice showing all the awe over that simple fact. But, the older Danvers frowned, having noticed something else in Kara’s tone. “She believes not just in Supergirl, but in Kara Danvers too. She thinks I could change the world, as both, not just as a superhero.” Alex had seen this passionate defence of the woman earlier, and she had never understood the loyalty Kara had for the woman, but now there was this sense of wonder, of affection.

“Do you like her?” she inquired softly, watching her sister carefully under the lights coming from the streets. 

“Of course I like her,” Kara replied immediately, crinkling her eyes as she couldn’t believe the question. 

“No, Kara,” Alex spoke softly. “Do you like her?” she asked again, only this time she pronounced the words pointedly. It would make sense, the scientist thought as she remembered the strange obsession Kara had with the woman even before she had started to work for her, reading most of her articles and books, watching her show. She even had applied to work for the woman, accepting a lesser pay that what she had at Noonan’s. 

Cocking her head to a side, Kara honestly considered her sister’s question. “I don’t know,” she replied with hesitation, glancing at the encouraging smile Alex had for her. “I thought I liked James, but look how that turned out.” She shifted a bit in place, turning toward Alex. “It was so awkward this entire evening, with him there looking at me like that.”

“He’ll get over it, Kara,” Alex comforted softly. “You’ll have your friend back.”

“But, that’s the thing, Alex,” Kara whispered harshly, her voice slightly rising, before she sheepishly looked over to their slumbering parent to check if she were still asleep. “We were never friends. It was always this connection between us, this expectation that we would get together, eventually.”

“What happened? I know that the thing with Adam and Red Kryptonite made you think on it, but I thought you were still set on James.”

“Barry,” Kara said simply, emptying the bottle right afterwards. She had told her sister about the speedster, with Lucy adding details. “The way he simply accepted me made me realize that James wants me to be another Superman. To do things the way Clark does. But, I am not him, and I don’t think he truly sees that.”

“Oh, Kara,” Alex sighed, having noticed the man’s penchant for judgement of Kara’s actions. She knew how her sister hated being thought of as a female Superman, rather than the hero in her own stead. “And, Cat?”

Kara sighed, looking out to the city, and Alex could see a gentle smile curling her lips, something she believed Kara wasn’t even aware off. “Sometimes, I feel like she is the only one out there who sees the real me. Not Kara Danvers, the human girl who is nothing but average. Not Kara Zor-El, the Lost Girl of the Stars. Not just the Supergirl, the one-dimensional symbol of hope and a hero. But, me. Everything that I am.” She turned to Alex, and leaned her head against her sister’s shoulder. “Like you do.”

“Only without seeing you through your awkward years as a teenager,” Alex added gleefully, nudging the blonde girl in affection.

“If it weren’t for her, I would have let Max bomb the city with Kryptonite,” the blonde added morosely, studiously ignoring Alex’s comment. She was dorky on her best day, imagining if Cat had seen her when she had been younger gave her the shudders of revulsion. “She believed in me when the whole city hated and feared me.” 

Even though Kara was only speaking about Cat’s actions, about her care for the young woman, Alex knew that her sister felt something similar toward the older woman, and faced with it, she wondered if she hadn’t made a grave mistake with Kara, having dismissed those feelings in the past as a girl crush, or a crush on a powerful personality. She wondered if she had done a great disservice to her sister with the heteronormative thinking and judgement over her sister’s feelings. And feeling slightly guilty for not being able to be there for the young alien in the aftermath of Red Kryptonite, she brought her arm around the blonde, pulling her into a side hug, before chugging away her drink. “Can you see yourself in a relationship with her?” she asked softly, careful to keep her tone just mildly curious and nothing else. “A romantic relationship with everything that entails?”

Kara nodded, rubbing her cheek over Alex’s loose cotton t-shirt, her quiet reply uncharacteristically shy for the superhero, especially since the two of them were alone. The dark haired woman brought her hand to the soft tresses and started gently scratching Kara’s head, kissing the alien’s forehead.

“Does she like you?” Alex murmured against Kara’s forehead, and hearing her sister mumble something into her chest, she leaned a bit away and peered into the bashful blue eyes, her gaze unobstructed by the glasses Kara had shed the minute she had come home. “Care to try again?” she teased gently the girl.

“She took me on a date,” Kara replied, her cheeks getting warmer under her sister’s scrutiny. 

“What?” Alex blurted in surprise, before she lowered her voice. “When? Where?”

“Friday evening,” the younger woman said, shifting away from her sister and pulling her knees up, she wrapped her arms around them and dropped her chin into the cleft between them, having positioned herself to see Alex with ease. Having seen the alien assume the position so familiar to the agent, for Kara had been using it whenever they had talked about boys and troubles about fitting in in the past, Alex placed herself in the relaxed version of the lotus position, keeping herself close to her sister. “She took me to the new place near that ice cream place,” Kara spoke softly, making Alex roll her eyes at the girl’s method of orientation in the city - the food places. “Well, she ordered me to make reservations and deal with the details, telling me it was a private dinner.” 

In soft whisper, the younger sister shared all the events from that day, describing the meals in amazing detail, covering the talks she had had with the Queen of all Media both at the restaurant and at the woman’s home, Cat’s words to her regarding their relationship and future job. Occasionally, Alex would ask some clarifying questions, but she let Kara get it all out, smiling at the excited way the girl was telling the story. She hadn’t seen her sister so exuberant after a first date in forever, as ordinarily her sister would often lament how horrible it went. She smirked when Kara explained how she had checked upon the woman first, before even going to the DEO when she had seen James’s weird behavior, her smirk widening when she found out what had actually happened at the CatCo with Cat. And, when she heard that Kara had a second dinner with the older woman, this time right after she had left Eliza at home after Myriad, she chuckled lightly, her reaction causing the blonde to frown at her. 

“Kara,” Alex said with a barely contained laughter in her voice. “Kara, you’ve been dating her since Friday.”

“No, I haven’t,” Kara denied, lifting her head up.

“Kara, you kissed her goodbye on Friday,” Alex pointed out. 

“On her cheek,” Kara replied. 

“That’s more than you have done on your other dates, lately,” the agent said shrewdly, bopping Kara’s nose. “You had dinner with her, even though mom was here. You didn’t even call me until Non came to CatCo, and she was the first person you checked up on.” She placed her palms on Kara’s face as she leaned in closer. “You never relax in other people’s homes. It took you forever to get used to my apartment. That’s why every game night is held here.” Bringing their foreheads together, she wrapped her arms around her sister’s back. “It doesn’t matter if you say it or not,” she whispered gently. “She is your significant other, already.” 

Kara’s eyes widened at the facts presented in such a way and she gasped, pulling away from her sister. Luckily, Alex had already anticipated that reaction, having released her only moments earlier. “Oh, Rao,” she exhaled before her eyes connected with the dark ones of her sister. “I’m dating Cat Grant!”


End file.
